269、后来，我们从这阴间上来，回到之前所在的南方。天使在此告诉我许多值得一提的事，涉及每个人与生俱来的非幻觉或非幻想的私欲。天使说，一旦陷入这种状态，人看上去就像傻子，尽管他们自己觉得聪明绝顶。他们不时地从这种愚蠢状态被带回到他们外在所具有的理性状态。在理性状态下，他们明白、承认并忏悔自己的愚蠢。“然而”，天使继续说，“他们仍渴望从这理性状态回到愚蠢状态，任由自己陷入其中，仿佛从强制和不快中逃离，然后进入自由和快乐。因此，给予他们内在快乐的，是私欲，而不是聪明。
“每个人自创造时都是由三种共性之爱构成的，即：对邻之爱，也就是对履行服务的爱，这是一种属灵的爱；尘世之爱，也就是对拥有财富的爱，这是一种物质的爱；自我之爱，也就是对统治他人的爱，这是一种属血气的爱。
“当对邻之爱，或对履行服务的爱构成头；尘世之爱构成躯体；自我之爱构成双脚时，人才真正为人。但如果尘世之爱构成头，那么人仅以驼背的方式而为人。如果自我之爱构成头，那他就不再像双脚站立的人，而像用手掌站立的人，头朝下，屁股撅在空中。当对邻之爱构成头，其它两种爱依次构成躯体和双脚时，从天上观之，这人似乎有一张天使的脸，头上有美丽的彩虹围绕。但如果尘世之爱构成头，从天上观之，他似乎有一张苍白如死尸的脸，头上有黄环围绕。如果自我之爱构成头，从天上观之，他似乎有一张黝黑的脸，头上有白环围绕。”对此，我问道：“头上的环代表什么？”天使回答说：“它们代表聪明。头上有白环、脸色黝黑代表人的聪明仅限于外在，或他周围；而他的疯狂处于他的内在，或在他里面。此外，像这样的人处于身体状态时是有智慧的，但处于灵的状态时是疯狂的。若不靠着主，没有人在灵里有智慧；当被主重生和再造，或更新时，他就变得智慧。”
说完这些话，左边的地面裂开了，我看见一个魔鬼从裂口升上来，头上有闪亮的白环围绕。我问他：“你是谁？”他说：“我是路西弗，早晨之子；因为将自己视为至高者，所以被扔了下来。”其实，他并不是路西弗，但他以为自己是。于是，我说：
“既被扔下去，那你又是如何从地狱上来的？”
“在那里，我是魔鬼；不过，在这里，我却是光明天使。你没看见我头上有光明的气场围绕吗？若愿意，你会看出，我是道德之人当中超有道德的，理性之人当中超有理性的，属灵之人当中超级属灵的。我还能讲道，也曾讲过道。”
“你都讲过什么？”
“不可欺诈，不可奸淫，离弃一切属地狱的爱。其实，那时我自称魔鬼路西弗，给自己召来这种诅咒，以便我被捧上天。这就是我得着‘早晨之子’称号的原由。连我自己也感到惊讶的是，当我站在讲坛上时，什么也想不起来，却能讲得既正确又合理。不过，我发现原因是，我处于自己的外在状态，而这种外在状态与我的内在状态是分离的。尽管我已发现这一点，却无法改变自己，因为我的骄傲阻止我仰望神。”
“你自己都是一个骗子、奸夫和魔鬼，又如何讲出这样的话来？”
“我处于外在或身体状态时，是一种人；处于内在或灵的状态时，是另一种人。在身体中，我是一位天使；在灵里，却是一个魔鬼。因为在身体中，我受理解力支配；但在灵里，却受意愿支配。理解力把我拉上去，意愿却把我拽下来。受理解力支配时，我头上有白环围绕；但当我的理解力完全屈从于意愿，沦为它的仆人（这就是我们最终的命运）时，这光环就逐渐变暗，直至消失。一旦发生这种事，我们便再也无法升入这光。”
后来，他谈到自己的双重状态，无论内在还是外在，比任何人都要理性。但当他突然发现天使与我同在时，他的脸和嗓音就着了火，他变成了黑色，连他头上的光环都变成了黑色；于是，他从原先升上来的裂口处又沉回地狱。看到这一幕，旁观者得出以下结论：人的性格是由他的意愿，而非他的理解力塑成的，因为爱能轻易将理解力拉到自己这边，使之屈从。
然后，我问天使：“魔鬼是从哪里获得这种推理能力的？”他们说：“它出于自我之爱的极度虚荣心，因为这爱被包裹在虚荣中，这虚荣甚至能将理解力提升至天堂之光。事实上，每个人的理解力都能照着他的知识被提升。但意愿则不然，它只能通过照着教会和理性所教导的真理生活而被提升。正因如此，即便由于自我之爱而拥有显赫名声，并因此以自己的聪明为骄傲的无神论者，也享有比许多人更高的推理能力。不过，只有当他们处于其理解的思维，而非其意愿的情感时，这种情况才会发生。意愿的情感主宰人的内在，而理解的思维主宰人的外在。”此外，天使还解释了为何人由上述三种爱构成的原因，即：对服务的爱、对尘世的爱和对自我的爱。这是为了使人能出于神思考，尽管貌似出于他自己。他说，在人里面，最高层朝上转向神，中间层朝外转向尘世，最底层则朝下转向自我。由于最底层是朝下的，所以人貌似出于自己思考，而事实上是出于神思考。
269、之后我们离开那里，返回到我们从前所在的地方。天使有一些值得要讲一讲的关于每个人生来就有的没有虚幻成分的贪婪。天使说，每当人处于这种贪婪中时，人看上去象是傻子，而在他们自己看来却是明智的，但他们会恢复理智并感到自己那时是多么的疯狂。
天使又说：“但是他们还会很情愿地回到那种不理智的状态中，就好象是要从被约束的状态进入自由的状态一样。此时他们在内心是被贪婪欲所控制。”
“每个人生来就是由三种爱构成的：对他人的爱，也就是对有益工作的爱；对尘世的爱，也就是对占有财富的爱；对自己的爱，也就是对控制他人的权力的爱。”
“对他人的爱是精神的，对尘世的爱是物质的，对自己的爱是自爱。”
“人在对他人的爱即对有益工作的爱存在于他的头脑中，对尘世的爱存在于身上，对自己的爱存在于手脚上时，就成为人。若对尘世的爱存在于头脑中，人就不是人，或者说是种驼着背的人。当对自己的爱存在于头脑中，他就不是脚站在地上的人了，而是倒立着的人。”
“当人对他人的爱存在于头脑中，其它两种爱存在于躯体和脚上时，从天堂中看，这些人有天使般的脸，头上闪着彩虹般的光环。若对尘世的爱存在于头中，人看上去有一张苍白的脸，象是死人一样，头上有一个黄圈。若他将对自己的爱放在头脑中，他的脸看上去是灰暗，并且头上有个白环。”
这时我问他们头上的环代表着什么。
“它们代表着才智”，白圈和灰暗的脸代表着人的才智处于外面，而在内在上人是疯狂的。这种人活着时是有才智的，但当他脱离躯体而处于精神状态时则是疯狂的，人因为主才会在精神上是明智的。
此时，我左脚侧的地面打开了，我看见一个魔鬼从中出来，头上顶着个白圈。我问：“你是谁？”
“我是启明星”，晨之子。因为我视自己为最高，所以被投入地狱。
其实他并非启明星，只不过他认为自己是。我问：“你已经被投入地狱。”但你怎么还会从其中出来呢。
他答道：“在地狱中我是鬼，但在这里我是光之天使。你没看见我头上的光环吗？在道德的人看来，我是最有道德的，在理智的人看来，我是最理智的，在精神性的人看来，我是更没有理性的。我甚至可以传道，其实我已经传过道了。”
“你传了什么道呢？”我问
“我宣传反对欺诈，淫乱以及一切地狱之爱。在那时我称自己为启明星，并且我阻止自身的愚蠢。我高在空中，被称为晨之子。我还吃惊地发现，每当我处于神职身份中时 ，我就能言语合理。我发现了这其中的原因，我被控在外在状态中。当这些在我处于神职中时被排除出去了。尽管如此，我还是不能改变。我的自大使我不能敬畏神。”
我又问：“你既然是个欺诈者，淫乱者或是个罪恶的魔鬼，那你怎么能讲出你刚才讲的话呢？”
他说：“当我处于外在状态或者说处于躯体中时，我是一种人，当我处于内在状态或者说处于精神状态时我是另一种人。处于躯体中时，我是个天使，处于精神中时，我是个魔鬼。处于躯体中时，我受自己的理解力领导；处于精神状态时，我受意愿领导；我的理解力将我推向上方，而我的意志将我向下拉。当我的理解力领导我的时候，我的头上会有光环，但若意志战胜理解力时，我的光环就会消失，那时我也就不能从地狱中出来而进入到光明中了。
魔鬼接下来说他的两种状态，外在的和内在的。他讲得非常理智。但他突然看到我和天使在一起，他吃惊起来，脸变黑了，光环消失了，他沉到了地狱中去。
我旁边有几个旁观者看到了这一切。他们推论说：人的特征是由他的意愿决定的，而不是由他的才智决定，因为爱能很容易将理解力带走而使其处于从属地位。
我又问天使：“魔鬼怎么会有如此的理性？”
他说：“它来自于对自己的爱的荣耀，这种荣耀会将理解力提升到天国之光中。事实上，每个人的理解力都能根据他的知识而被提升，而人的意愿却只能由教会中的真理而提升。因此即使一个无神论者了有在名誉的荣耀的推动下而拥有比别人更高的理智性。但此时他们是在自己的才智的领导下，而非他的意愿，因为意愿控制着人的内在，而才智控制着人的外在。”
天使又进一步解释了为什么人是由这三种爱构成的。天使说其中的原因就是使得人能够遵循主而思索，而能好象是出于自身的行为。人身上最高的成份被指向神，中间成份指向尘世，而最低的成份指向下方。因为最低的成份是指向下方的，人能自己思考事情，但实际上这是来自于主。
269. Afterwards we went up from this underworld into the south, where we had been before, and the angels there told me a great deal worth recording about the longing which is not just a vision or induced by fantasy, that everyone has from birth. 'While people are in this state, they are like fools, though they seem to themselves as if extremely wise. From time to time they are brought back from their folly into the rational state they have outwardly. In that state they see, acknowledge and confess their folly, but they still hanker after returning from their rational to their foolish state, and they plunge into it, as if escaping from compulsion and unpleasantness into freedom and pleasure. So it is longing that inwardly delights them, not intelligence.
[2] 'There are,' they said, ' three universal loves of which every person is from creation compounded: the love of the neighbour, which is also the love of performing services, and this is a spiritual love; the love of the world, which is also the love of possessing wealth, and this is a material love; and self-love, which is the love of ruling over others, and this is a bodily love.
[3] A person is truly human when the love of the neighbour, or the love of performing services, makes up the head, and the love of the world makes up the body, and self-love makes up the feet. But if the love of the world makes up the head, a person is only human in the way a hunchback is. And if self-love makes up the head, he is not like a person standing on his feet, but like one standing on the palms of his hands with his head down and his haunches in the air.
When the love of the neighbour makes up the head, and the other two loves duly make up the body and feet, the person as seen from heaven appears to have the face of an angel with a lovely rainbow around his head. But if the love of the world makes up the head, seen from heaven he seems to have a pale face like a corpse with a yellow ring around his head. And if self-love makes up the head, seen from heaven he seems to have a swarthy face with a white ring around his head.'
This led me to ask, 'What do the rings around the head represent?' 'Intelligence,' they replied, 'the white ring around the head of a person with a swarthy face represents his intelligence being limited to externals or around him, and his craziness being in his internals or inside him. Also a person of this sort is wise when in the body, but crazy when in the spirit. No one is wise in the spirit except by the Lord's doing; this happens when he is born again and created anew by the Lord.'
[4] When this was said, the ground opened up on the left, and through the opening I saw a devil rising with a shining white halo round his head. 'Who are you?' I asked. 'I am Lucifer,' he said, 'the son of the dawn. I was cast down for regarding myself as like the Most High.' He was not really Lucifer, but he thought he was.
'Since you have been cast down,' I said, 'how can you rise again from hell?' 'There,' he said, 'I am a devil, but here I am an angel of light. Don't you see I have a sphere of light round my head? And you will see, if you wish, that among moral people I am more than moral, among rational people more than rational, among spiritual people even more than spiritual. I can also preach, and have done so.'
'What did you preach about?' I asked. 'I preached against cheats, against adulterers, and all the loves of hell. In fact it was then I called myself the devil Lucifer and invoked curses on myself as such, so that I was praised to the skies. That was how I got the name of the son of the dawn. To my own surprise when I was in the pulpit I could think of nothing but speaking correctly and properly. But I discovered the reason, that I was in my outward state, and this was separate from my inward one. Yet although I had discovered this, I still could not change myself, because my pride prevented me from looking to God.'
[5] 'How then,' I asked next, 'could you speak like that, when you are yourself a deceiver, an adulterer and a devil?' 'I am different,' he replied, 'when I am in my outward or bodily state from what I am in my inward or spiritual state. In the body, I am an angel, but in the spirit I am a devil. For in the body I am under the control of the intellect, but in the spirit under that of the will. The intellect carries me aloft, but the will drags me down. When under the control of the intellect, I have a white halo round my head; but when my intellect makes itself subservient to the will and becomes its creature, as ultimately happens to us, then the halo turns black and disappears. Once this has happened, we can no longer come up here into the light.
Later he talked more rationally than anyone else about his double state, inward and outward. But suddenly on seeing I had angels with me, his face and voice caught fire, and he became black, even the halo about his head doing the same; and he fell back into hell through the same opening he had come up by. On seeing this the bystanders arrived at this conclusion, that it is a person's love which determines what he is like, not his intellect, since love easily carries the intellect away to support it and makes it subservient.
[6] Then I asked the angels, 'Where do devils get such powers of reasoning?' 'It comes,' they said, 'from the radiance of self-love, for this is enveloped in radiance, which can even raise the intellect into the light of heaven. For everyone's intellect can be raised, depending on what he knows; but his will cannot be raised except by living in accordance with the truths taught by the church and by reason. This is why even atheists, who have a radiant reputation as the result of self-love, and are therefore proud of their own intelligence, enjoy higher powers of reasoning than many other people. But this happens when they are engaged in intellectual thinking, not when their will is engaged in affection. The will's affection controls a person's interior, but the intellect's thinking controls his exterior.'
The angel went on to explain the reason why a person is a mixture of the three loves mentioned above: the love of service, the love of the world and self-love. This is to enable him to think from God, although as if from himself. He said that the highest level in a person is turned up towards God, the middle level outward towards the world, and the lowest level downwards towards oneself. Since this level is turned downwards, he thinks as if his thoughts came from himself, yet in fact they come from God.
269. We subsequently ascended from this underworld in a southerly direction to where we had been before; and there the angels recounted a number of other things worth mentioning, concerning lust that is not delusionary or given to fantasy - the kind everyone is possessed of from birth. Whenever people are caught up in this lust, they said, they are as fools, and yet appear to themselves as extremely wise. But they are by turns brought back from this foolish state into a rational one, which in them resides in their outward faculties; and in that state they see, recognize and acknowledge their insanity.
"But still," the angels continued, "they long to go from their rational state into their irrational one, and they also let themselves go into it, as from a compelled and unpleasant condition into a free and pleasant one. Thus it is lust that pleasures them inwardly, and not intelligence.
[2] "Every human being is from creation a combination of three universal loves: love of the neighbor, which is also a love of performing useful services; love of the world, which is also a love of possessing riches; and love of self, which is also a love of exercising command over others.
"Love of the neighbor, or a love of performing useful services, is a love of the spirit. Love of the world, on the other hand, or a love of possessing riches, is a love of material things. And love of self, or a love of exercising command over others, is a love of one's own person.
[3] "A person is a human being as long as love of the neighbor or a love of performing useful services forms the head, with love of the world forming the body, and love of self forming the feet. But if love of the world forms the head, a person is not a human being except in a kind of hunchbacked way. And when love of self forms the head, he is no longer a human being standing on his feet, but one standing on his hands with his head down and bottom up.
"When love of the neighbor forms the head, and the other two loves form respectively the body and feet, the person appears, when viewed from heaven, to have an angelic face, with a beautiful rainbow-like halo about his head. But if love of the world forms the head, he appears when viewed from heaven to have a pallid face, like that of a dead man, with a yellow circle about his head. And if love of self forms the head, he appears from heaven to have a dark face, with a white circle about his head."
At that point I asked what the circles around the heads represented.
"They represent intelligence," they replied. "A white circle around a head with a dark face represents that the person's intelligence lies in his outward faculties or round about him, while insanity resides in his inward faculties or within him. Even a person like that is wise so long as he is in a state of the body, but when he is in a state of the spirit he is insane. No one is ever wise in spirit except from the Lord, which comes about when he is being born again or created anew by Him."
[4] Following these words, the ground to my left opened, and through the opening I saw a devil rising, having a luminous white circle about his head. I asked him therefore, "Who are you?"
"I am Lucifer," he answered, "son of the dawn. And because I made myself like the Most High, I was cast down." 1
In fact he was not really Lucifer, but he thought he was. So I asked him, "Seeing that you were cast down, how is it that are you able to rise again from hell?"
To which he replied, "In hell I am a devil, but here I am an angel of light. Do you not see the ring of light encircling my head? And if you wish, you will see, too, that with moral people I am more than moral; with rational people, more than rational; indeed, with spiritual people, more than spiritual. I can even preach, and moreover have preached."
"What have you preached?" I asked.
"I have preached," he said, "against swindlers, against adulterers, and against infernal loves of every kind. Indeed, at such times I have called myself - Lucifer - a devil, and have uttered falsehoods against myself as such; and for that I have been praised to the sky. That is why I have been called son of the dawn. Moreover - what has surprised me - whenever I was in the pulpit, I had no other thought than to speak uprightly and fittingly. However, I discovered in myself the reason, which is that I was caught up in external states, and these were then separate from my inward ones. Yet, having discovered this in myself, still I could not change, because my arrogance prevented me from having regard for God."
[5] I then inquired, "How were you able to speak as you did, seeing that you are a swindler, adulterer, and devil yourself?"
He replied, "I am one sort of person when I am in external states or a state of the body, and another when I am in internal states or a state of the spirit. In a state of the body I am an angel, but in a state of the spirit a devil. For in a state of the body I am directed by my understanding, but in a state of the spirit by my will; and my understanding carries me upward, while my will carries me down. Furthermore, when I am directed by my understanding, a band of white encompasses my head; however, as soon as my understanding surrenders itself completely to my will and becomes its servant - which is our ultimate fate - then the band turns black and disappears. When that happens, we can no longer ascend into this light."
The devil afterwards talked about his dual states, one external, one internal, and he spoke of them more rationally than anybody else has. But suddenly, when he noticed the angels with me, he became inflamed in face and voice and turned black, including even the band about his head; and he sank back down to hell through the opening through which he had risen.
There were some people standing by who witnessed these events, and they drew from them the following conclusion, that a person's character is shaped by his will, and not by his intellect, since love easily carries away the understanding into seeing things its way and becoming its servant.
[6] I then asked the angels, "How is it possible for devils to have such rationality?"
And they said, "It comes from the glory of self-love; for love of self is wrapped in glory, and glory raises the understanding even into the light of heaven. Indeed, in every person the understanding is capable of being raised in accordance with his knowledge, in contrast to the will, which can be raised only by living in accordance with the truths of the church and of reason. That is why even atheists who from love of self are motivated by the glory of their reputation and by a resulting conceit in their own intelligence, may possess a higher degree of rationality than many others - but only when they are directed by the thought of their intellect, and not by the affection of their will. For the affection of the will governs a person's inner self, while the thought of the intellect governs his outer one."
One of the angels further explained why human beings are a combination of the three loves referred to previously, namely, a love of being useful, a love of the world, and a love of self. The reason, he said, is to enable a person to think in accord with God, yet do so as though on his own. The highest elements in a person are directed upwards to God, the intermediate elements outwards to the world, and the lowest ones downwards to self. And because these last elements are directed downwards, a person thinks as though on his own, when in fact he does so from God.
Footnotes:
1. See Isaiah 14:12-15. The reference is a metaphor for the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:3,4), but based on an erroneous connection with Luke 10:18 (cf. also Revelation 9:1, 12:7-10), since the 3rd century it has been applied to Satan, a mythical rebel angel cast down from heaven. Modern interpreters generally understand the reference as an allusion to the planet Venus, translating it usually as "day star" or "morning star."
269. After this we went up from those lower regions into the south, where we were before, and there the angels told many memorable things about the greed, not hallucinatory or imagined, that is inborn in every person.
"While they are in the grip of this greed, they seem like fools, yet to themselves they seem extremely wise. They vibrate between this foolishness and the rationality that they have outwardly, so they see, admit, and confess their insanity. But when they are rational they long for their folly, and they plunge back into it as if from a restricting, unpleasant element into a free and delightful one. So deep down inside, what they like is greed, and not intelligence.
"From creation, every person is made up of three basic loves - love of one's neighbor, which is also love of doing useful things, love of the world, which is also love of having wealth, and selflove, which is also love of ruling others. Love of one's neighbor or of being useful is a spiritual love, but love of the world or of having wealth is a material love, and love of self or of ruling others is a physical love. A person is human when love of his neighbor or being useful makes his head, worldly love makes his body, and self - love his feet. But if love of the world is his head, he is only a person like a humpback, and when self - love is his head, he is a person standing on his hands, not his feet, with his head down and his buttocks up. When love of his neighbor is his head and the other two loves in the right order are his body and feet, the person has the face of an angel and a beautiful rainbow around his head, when seen from heaven. If worldly love is his head, he is seen from heaven with a pale face like a dead person and a yellow circle around his head. But if self - love is his head, he seems, from heaven, to have a dusky face, with a white circle around his head."
So I asked, "What do the circles around his head represent?"
"They represent the person's intelligence," the angels said.
"A white circle around the head with the dusky face represents that his intelligence is in superficial things or things around him, but in inner matters, he is foolish. A person like that is sane in body but insane in spirit. And no one has sanity in spirit except from the Lord. This happens when he is born anew, or when the Lord creates him again."
After these words the earth opened to my left, and I saw a devil coming up through the opening with a bright white circle around his head.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Lucifer, Son of the Dawn," he said. "And because I made myself like the Most High I was cast down." He thought he was Lucifer, but he was not.
I said, "If you were cast down, how can you rise again out of hell?"
"There I'm a devil, but here I'm an angel of light," he said.
"Don't you see the bright halo around my head? And if you wish, you'll also see that I'm super - moral among the moral, superrational among the rational - even super - spiritual among the spiritual. I also know how to preach, and have preached."
"Preached what?" I asked.
"Against frauds, adulterers, and all hellish loves," he said.
"In fact, I used to call Lucifer - myself - a devil, and I hurled an oath against him - me - and they praised me to the sky. This is why I am called the Son of the Dawn. And it even puzzles me, but in the pulpit I thought I was speaking uprightly and piously.
But I know why. I was all on the surface, and the surface was at that time separated from what I was inwardly. But even though I found this out, I couldn't change myself, because I was too proud to look to God."
"How could you talk like that," I said, "when you yourself are a fraud, an adulterer, and a devil?"
He answered, "I'm one person on the outside or in my body, but another inside, or as a spirit. In my body I'm an angel, but in my spirit a devil. In a body I follow my ability to understand, but as a spirit I follow my will. My ability to understand carries me upward, but my will carries me downward. When I go by what I understand, there is a white halo around my head. When my ability to understand gives in completely to my will and becomes my will's ability to understand - which is what happens to us in the end - the halo grows dark and dies out, and then we can no longer rise into this light."
Then he talked about his double condition - external and internal - more rationally than anyone else. But he suddenly saw the angels with me. His face and voice flared out. He turned black. Even the halo around his head turned black, and he sank down into hell through the opening he came out of.
This is what the people on the scene made of it - that what a person is like depends on what his love is like, not what his ability to understand is like, because love easily carries intellect over to its side and makes it a servant.
"Where do devils get such rationality?" I asked the angels.
"It comes from the conceit of self - love," they said. "For selflove is surrounded with conceit that can raise their intellect right into the light of heaven. For every man's intellect can be elevated according to the knowledge in it, but only a life that follows the truths of the church and reason can lift up someone's will. This is why even atheists whose self - love makes them conceited about their reputations and therefore proud of their own intelligence, enjoy a more sublime rationality than many others do. But only when they are engaged in intellectual thought, not when they are living by the feelings of their will. Now, the will with its feelings possesses the inner person, but intellectual thought possesses the outer person."
The angel also told why a person is made up of the three loves already mentioned - love of being useful, worldly love, and self - love. It is so that his thought can come from God as if it came from himself. The angel said that a person's highest qualities turn upward toward God, his intermediate Ones turn outward toward the world, and his lowest downward toward himself. Because the lowest Ones turn downward, the person thinks just as if thought came from himself, though it comes from God.
269. After this, we ascended from these lower regions into the south where we had been before. There the angels told us many things worthy of mention concerning the non-visionary or non-fantastical concupiscence, in which every man is from birth. "So long as men are in it, they are fools and yet seem to themselves to be supremely wise. From this foolishness they are restored by turns into the rational which with them is in their externals. In this state they see, acknowledge, and confess their insanity. Yet, from this rational state they long to return to their insane state. Moreover, they let themselves into it as though into something free and delightful from what is forced and undelightful. Thus it is concupiscence that inwardly delights them."
[2] "There are three universal loves, of which, from creation, every man is made up: Love of the neighbor which is also the love of performing uses, love of the world which is also the love of possessing wealth, and love of self which is also the love of ruling over others. Love of the neighbor or the love of performing uses is a spiritual love; love of the world or the love of possessing wealth is a material love; and love of self or the love of ruling over others is a corporeal love.
[3] Man is a man when love of the neighbor or the love of performing uses makes the head, love of the world the body, and love of self the feet. But if love of the world makes the head, the man is not a man save as a humpback is a man; and when love of self makes the head, he is not a man standing on his feet but a man resting on his hands, with his head downwards and his buttocks upwards. When love of the neighbor makes the head, and the other two loves in their order make the body and the feet, then, from heaven, the man is seen to be of an angelic countenance, with a beautiful rainbow around his head; but if love of the world makes the head, he is seen from heaven to be of a pallid countenance, like that of a corpse, with a yellow circle around his head; while, if love of self makes the head, he is seen from heaven to be of a dusky countenance, with a white circle around his head."
At this I asked, "What do the circles around their heads represent?" They answered: "They represent intelligence. A white circle around a head with a dusky countenance represents that the man's intelligence is in his externals, that is, is around him, while in his internals, that is, within him, is insanity. Moreover, a man who is such is wise when in the body but insane when in the spirit. No man is wise in the spirit except from the Lord; and he becomes wise when he is generated by Him and created again or anew."
[4] After these words, the earth at the left opened and, rising up through the opening, I saw a devil with a bright white circle around his head. I asked him, "Who are you?" He said, "I am Lucifer, Son of the Dawn; and because I made myself like the Most High, I was cast down." Yet he was not that Lucifer, though he thought he was.
I then said, "Since you were cast down, how can you again rise up out of hell?" He replied: "There I am a devil but here I am an angel of light. Do you not see my head encircled with a sphere of light? and if you wish, you will also see that I am super-moral among the moral, super-rational among the rational, nay, and super-spiritual among the spiritual. Moreover, I can preach, and I have preached."
When I asked him, "What have you preached?" he said: "Against defrauders, against adulterers, and against all infernal loves. Yea, I, Lucifer, then called myself the devil and hurled curses against myself--him--and for this I was extolled to the sky with praises. It is because of this that I am called the Son of the Dawn. And, what I myself have wondered at, when I was in the pulpit I thought no other than that I was speaking uprightly and piously. But I have discovered to myself that the reason was because I was in externals, and these were then separated from my internals. Yet, despite this discovery, I could not change because, on account of my arrogance, I had not looked to God."
[5] I then asked him, "How can you speak so when you yourself are a defrauder, an adulterer, and a devil?" He replied: "I am one person when in externals or in the body and another when in internals or in the spirit. In the body I am an angel, but in the spirit a devil: for in the body I am in the understanding, but in the spirit I am in the will, and the understanding carries me upwards but the will carries me downwards. When I am in the understanding, a white band encircles my head, but when my understanding wholly surrenders itself to my will and becomes its understanding, which is our final lot, then the band grows black and disappears; and when this happens, we are no longer able to ascend into this light."
He then spoke of his twofold state, the external and the internal, more rationally than any one; but on seeing the angels with me, he was suddenly inflamed in face and voice and became black, even as to the band around his head. He then sank down into hell through the opening through which he had risen.
From what they had thus seen, the bystanders formed the following conclusion: A man is such as his love is, and not his understanding, because the love easily carries the understanding to its side and enslaves it.
[6] I then asked the angels, "Whence do devils have such rationality?" and they said, "It is from the vainglory of the love of self; for the love of self is girt about with vainglory, and the vainglory elevates the understanding into the light of heaven. The understanding can be elevated with every man according to his knowledge, but not the will except by a life according to the truths of the Church and of reason. Hence it is that men, even atheists, who are in the vainglory of reputation from the love of self and thence are in the pride of self- intelligence, enjoy a more sublime rationality than many others--but only when they are in the thought of their understanding, not when in the affection of their will. The affection of the will possesses man's internal, but the thought of the understanding, his external."
Furthermore, the angel told me the reason why man is made up of the three loves mentioned above--the love of use, the love of the world, and the love of self--namely, that he may think from God, though as if from himself. He said: "The supreme things in man are turned upwards to God, the intermediate outwards to the world, and the lowest downwards to self, and because these are turned downwards, man thinks as if from himself, when yet he thinks from God."
269. 1Thereupon we ascended from these lower regions into the south, where we were before; and there the angels related many memorable things about lust not visionary or phantasmic, in which every man is by nativity. "While men are in such lust they are as it were infatuated, and yet seem to themselves supremely wise. By turns they are remitted from this infatuation into the rational, which with them is in the externals, in which state they see, acknowledge and confess their insanity; and yet from this rational state they long for their insane state, and also cast themselves into it, as from what is forced and undelightful into what is free and delightful. It is lust and not intelligence which is inwardly grateful to them.
[2] "There are three universal loves of which every man is constituted by creation: the love of the neighbor, which is also the love of doing uses; the love of the world, which is also the love of possessing wealth; and the love of self, which is also the love of ruling over others. Love of the neighbor or the love of doing uses is a spiritual love; but love of the world, which is also the love of possessing wealth, is a material love; and love of self or the love of ruling over others is a corporeal love.
[3] Man is man when love of the neighbor or the love of doing uses makes the head, love of the world makes the body, and love of self, the feet. But if love of the world forms the head, man is not a man - other than as it were a hunchback; and if love of self makes the head, he is not a man standing on his feet but on his palms, with the head downward and the haunches up. If love of the neighbor forms the head, and the other two loves in order make the body and feet, man appears from heaven of an angelic countenance with a beautiful rainbow about his head; if love of the world makes the head he appears from heaven with the pallid countenance of a dead person, with a yellow circle about his head; but if love of self makes the head he appears from heaven of a dusky countenance, with a white circle around the head."
On this I asked what the circles about the head represented. They answered, "Their intelligence. A white circle around the head with a dusky countenance means that the man's intelligence is in things external or is circumferential, while in things internal or within him is insanity. Such a man also is sane while he is in the body, but insane when in the spirit. No man is sane in the spirit except from the Lord, which is the case when he is born again or created anew from Him."
[4] After these things were said the earth opened at the left, and I saw a devil rising through the opening having a very white circle around his head, and I demanded: "Who are you?"
He said, "I am Lucifer, Son of the Morning. 2Because I made myself like the Most High I was cast down." He was not that Lucifer, but believed he was.
I said, "Having been cast down, how can you rise again out of hell?"
He replied, "There I am a devil, but here I am an angel of light. Do you not see my head encircled with a lucid sphere? You will also see, if you wish, that I am super-moral among the moral, super-rational among the rational, yes, super-spiritual among the spiritual. I can preach, too, and have done so."
I asked, "What have you preached?"
He said, "Against defrauders, adulterers and all infernal loves. Indeed, I, Lucifer, then called myself a devil, and perjured him - or myself! - and was lauded to heaven for it. That is why I am called the Son of the Morning. Strange to say, when I was in the pulpit I thought no otherwise than that I was speaking rightly and properly. But I have discovered to myself the reason. It was because I was in externals, which were then separated from my internals; but though I discovered this to myself, I could not change myself, for out of pride I did not look to God."
[5] I then asked him, "How could you speak in this way when you yourself are a defrauder, adulterer and devil?"
He replied, "I am one person when in externals or in the body, and another when in internals or in the spirit. In the body I am an angel, but in the spirit a devil. For in the body I am in the understanding, but in spirit in the will, and my understanding bears me upward, butthe will bears me downward. When I am in the understanding this white zone encircles my head, but when the understanding makes itself over to my will and becomes its understanding - which is our final lot - then the zone grows dim and dies. When that happens we can no longer rise into this light."
He went on to speak more rationally than any one else about his double state, external and internal; but suddenly, catching sight of the angels with me, he was inflamed in face and voice, turned black, even to the zone about his head, and sank into hell through the opening by which he had come up.
The onlookers concluded from what they had seen that a man is such as his love is, and not such as his understanding is, because the love easily bears the understanding its way and subordinates it.
[6] I then asked the angels, "Whence have devils such rationality?"
They said, "From the glory of self-love. For self-love is encircled with glory, and glory raises the understanding even into the light of heaven. For the understanding can be raised with every man according to his knowledge, but the will only by a life according to the truths of the Church and of reason. Hence even atheists who are in the glory of reputation from the love of self, and thence in the pride of their own intelligence, rejoice in a sublimer rationality than many others; but that is when they are in the thought of the understanding, and not when they are in the affection of the will. The affection of the will has possession of the internal of man, but the thought of the understanding of his external."
The angel also gave the reason why man is constituted of the three loves mentioned above - the love of uses, the love of the world, and the love of self - namely, in order that he may think from God but still as if from himself. He said that the highest things in man are turned upward to God, the intermediate things outward to the world, and the lowest things downward to himself, and because the last-named are turned downward man thinks just as if from himself, although from God.
Footnotes:
1. This paragraph occurs again, with slight changes, in True Christian Religion 507.
2. Isaiah 14:12.
269. After this we ascended from these lower regions into the south, where we were before; and there the angels related many things worthy to be remembered, respecting lust not visionary or fantastical, in which every man is from nativity, 'That while they are in it they are as it were infatuated, and yet seem to themselves as wise in the highest degree; and that by turns they are remitted from this infatuation into the rational, which with them is in the externals, in which state they see, acknowledge and confess their insanity; and yet from this rational state they long for their insane state, and also cast themselves into it, as from what is forced and undelightful into what is free and delightful. Thus lust and not intelligence is inwardly pleasing to them.'
'There are three universal loves of which, from creation, every man is composed: the love of the neighbor which is also the love of performing uses; the love of the world which is also the love of possessing wealth; and the love of self which is also the love of ruling over others. The love of the neighbor or the love of performing uses is a spiritual love; but the love of the world which is also the love of possessing wealth is a material love; and love of self or the love of ruling over others is a corporeal love. Man is man when the love of the neighbor or the love of doing uses makes the head, and the love of the world makes the body, and the love of self, the feet. But if the love of the world forms the head, man is not a man - other than as it were a humpback; and when the love of self makes the head, he is not a man standing on his feet but on his palms, with his head downwards and the buttocks upwards. When the love of the neighbor forms the head, and the other two loves in order make the body and the feet, man appears from heaven of an angelic countenance, with a beautiful rainbow about his head; and if the love of the world makes the head he appears from heaven with a pallid countenance, as of a dead person, with a yellow circle about his head; but if the love of self makes the head he appears from heaven of dusky countenance, with a white circle around the head.'
At this I asked, 'What do the circles about the head represent?' They answered, 'They represent their intelligence. A white circle around the head with a dusky countenance represents that his intelligence is in things external, or around him, but in things internal or within him is insanity. Such a man also is sane while he is in the body, but insane when in the spirit. And no man is sane in the spirit except from the Lord, which comes to pass when he is born and created again or anew from Him.'
After these things were said the earth opened at the left, and I saw a devil coming up through the opening having a white lucid circle around his head, and I demanded:
'Who are you?'
He said, ‘I am Lucifer, Son of the Dawn. And because I made myself like the Most High I was cast down.'
Yet he was not, but believed himself to be that Lucifer. I said, 'As you were cast down how can you rise again out of hell?'
He replied, ‘I am a devil there, but here I am an angel of light. Do you not see my head encircled with a lucid sphere? And you will see also if you wish that I am super-moral among the moral, super-rational among the rational, yea, super-spiritual among the spiritual. I can also preach, and also have preached.' I asked, 'What have you preached?'
He said, 'Against defrauders, against adulterers, and against all infernal loves. Yea, then I called Lucifer (myself) a devil, and proclaimed with an oath against him (against myself) and for this was exalted with praises even to heaven. Hence it is that I am called the Son of the Dawn. And, whereat I myself have wondered, when I was in the pulpit I thought no otherwise than that I was speaking rightly and properly. But I have discovered to myself the reason. It was because I was in externals, and these were then separated from my internals; but though I discovered this to myself, I could not change myself, because on account of my pride I did not look to God.' I then asked him, 'How could you speak in this way when you yourself are a defrauder, yourself an adulterer, and yourself a devil?'
He replied, ‘I am one person when I am in externals or in the body, and another when in internals or in the spirit. In the body I am an angel, but in the spirit a devil. For in the body I am in understanding, but in spirit in the will, and my understanding carries me upwards, but the will carries me downwards; and when I am in understanding a white halo encircles my head, but when the understanding surrenders itself entirely to my will, and becomes its understanding, which is our final lot, then the halo grows dark and perishes and when this comes to pass we are no longer able to ascend into this light.'
Afterwards he spoke of his two-fold state, external and internal, more rationally than anyone else; but suddenly when he saw the angels with me he was inflamed in face and voice, and became black, even as to the circle about his head, and sank down into hell through the opening by which he rose.
Those standing by formed this conclusion from the things seen: That a man is such as is the quality of his love, and not such as the quality of his understanding, because the love easily carries the understanding over to its side, and subordinates it. I then asked the angels, 'Whence have devils such rationality?'
They said, 'It is from the glory of the love of self. For the love of self is encircled with glory, and glory elevates the understanding even into the light of heaven. For with every man the understanding can be elevated according to its knowledges, but not the will, except by a life according to the truths of the church and of reason. Hence it is that even atheists who are in the glory of reputation from the love of self, and thence in the pride of their own intelligence, rejoice in a sublimer rationality than many others; but it is when they are in the thought of the understanding, and not when they are in the affection of the will, and the affection of the will has possession of the internal of man, but the thought of the understanding of his external.'
Further, the angel told the reason why man is constituted of the three loves above mentioned, of the love of uses, of the love of the world, and of the love of self, which is, so that he may think from God though as if from himself. He said that the highest things in man are turned upwards to God, the intermediate things outwards to the world, and the lowest things downwards to himself, and because these are turned downwards man thinks just as if from himself, although from God.
269. Postea ex his inferis ascendimus [in] Meridiem, ubi fuimus prius, ac Angeli ibi plura memoratu digna narrabant de Concupiscentia non visionaria seu phantastica, in qua omnis homo est ex nativitate; quod illi dum in ea sunt, sint sicut fatui, et tamen sibi ipsis videantur sicut summe sapientes; et quod a fatuitate illa remittantur per vices in Rationale, quod apud illos in externis est; in quo statu vident, agnoscunt, et confitentur insaniam suam, "sed usque e statu rationali suo in statum insanum suum discupiunt, et quoque se in hunc immittunt, sicut a coacto et injucundo in liberum et jucundum; ita concupiscentia interius oblectat illos, et non intelligentia.
[2] Sunt tres Amores universales, ex quibus a creatione conflatus est omnis homo, Amor proximi, qui etiam est amor faciendi usus, Amor mundi, qui etiam est amor possidendi opes, ac Amor sui, qui etiam est amor imperandi super alios: Amor proximi seu faciendi usus, est amor spiritualis; Amor autem mundi seu amor possidendi opes, est amor materialis; at Amor sui, seu amor imperandi super alios, est amor corporeus;
[3] homo est homo, dum Amor proximi seu amor faciendi usus facit Caput, ac Amor mundi facit Corpus, et Amor sui facit Pedes: at si Amor mundi facit caput, homo non est homo, aliter quam sicut gibbosus; at cum Amor sui facit caput, non est homo stans super pedibus, sed super palmis capite deorsum et clunibus sursum: quando Amor proximi facit Caput, et reliqui duo amores faciunt ordine Corpus et Pedes, apparet ille homo e Coelo facie angelica, cum pulchra iride circum caput; at si amor mundi facit caput, apparet ille e coelo facie pallida sicut mortui cum circulo flavo circum caput; si vero amor sui facit caput, apparet ille e Coelo facie furva, cum circulo albo circum caput:" ad haec quaesivi, quid repraesentant circuli circum capita; respondebant, "repraesentant intelligentiam; circulus albus, circum caput faciei furvae, repraesentat, quod intelligentia ejus in externis sit, seu circum illum, at insania in internis seu in illo; etiam homo, qui talis est, sapit dum in corpore est, at insanit dum in spiritu; et nullus homo sapit spiritu, nisi a Domino, quod fit cum denuo seu e novo ab Ipso generatur et creatur."
[4] His dictis, aperiebatur terra ad sinistrum, et per aperturam vidi assurgentem Diabolum cum circulo albo lucido circum caput, et sciscitavi, "quis es;" dixit, "sum Lucifer filius aurorae, et quia similem me feci Altissimo, dejectus sum:" at non fuit ille Lucifer, sed credidit se esse illum; et dixi, "cum dejectus es, quomodo potes resurgere ex inferno;" et respondit, "sum ibi diabolus, at hic sum angelus lucis; videsne caput meum sphaera lucida circumcinctum; et quoque si vis, videbis, quod sim supramoralis inter morales, suprarationalis inter rationales, imo supraspiritualis 1inter spirituales; possum etiam concionari, et quoque concionatus sum;" quaesivi, "quid concionatus es;" dixit, "contra defraudatores, contra adulteros, et contra omnes amores infernales, imo tunc me Luciferum vocavi diabolum, ac pejeravi contra me illum, ac propterea laudibus evectus sum usque ad coelum; inde est, quod vocatus sim filius aurorae; et quod ipse miratus sum, cum super pulpito eram, non cogitavi aliter, quam quod recte et rite loquerer; sed causam mihi detexi, quia in externis fui, et haec tunc erant separata ab internis meis; et tametsi hoc mihi detexi, usque non potui immutare me, quia prae fastu meo non spectavi ad Deum:"
[5] dein quaesivi, "quomodo potuisti ita loqui, cum es ipse defraudator, ipse adulter, et ipse diabolus;" respondit, "sum alius cum in externis seu in corpore sum, et alius cum in internis seu in spiritu; in corpore sum angelus, sed in spiritu diabolus, nam in corpore sum in intellectu, in spiritu autem sum in voluntate, ac intellectus me fert sursum, at voluntas me fert deorsum; et cum in intellectu sum, cingulum album circumvelat caput meum; at dum intellectus se prorsus emancipat voluntati, et fit ejus, quod est sors nostra ultima, tunc nigrescit cingulum, ac perit; quo facto non possumus amplius in lucem hanc ascendere:" postea de duplici suo statu, externo et interno, loquutus est plus rationaliter quam aliquis alter; sed subito, cum vidit Angelos apud me, inflammatus est facie et voce, et factus est niger, etiam quoad cingulum circum caput, et per aperturam, per quam surrexit, delapsus est in infernum. Adstantes ex illis visis fecerunt hoc conclusum, quod homo talis sit, qualis est ejus amor, et non qualis est ejus intellectus; quoniam amor intellectum facile aufert in suas partes et emancipat.
[6] Tunc quaesivi Angelos, unde talis rationalitas est diabolis; et dicebant, "est ex gloria amoris sui, nam amor sui circumcingitur gloria, et gloria elevat intellectum usque in lucem coeli; nam intellectus apud unumquemvis hominem elevabilis est secundum cognitiones, sed non voluntas nisi per vitam secundum Ecclesiae et rationis vera; inde est, quod ipsi Athei, qui in gloria famae sunt ex amore sui, et inde fastu propriae intelligentiae, gaudeant rationalitate sublimiore, quam multi alii, sed tunc cum in cogitatione intellectus sunt, non autem cum in affectione voluntatis, et affectio voluntatis possidet internum hominis, at cogitatio intellectus externum ejus." Porro dixit Angelus causam, cur homo conflatus est ex tribus supradictis amoribus, videlicet ex amore usus, ex amore mundi, et ex amore sui, quae est, ut homo cogitet ex Deo, tametsi sicut ex se; dixit quod suprema in homine versa sint sursum ad Deum, media extrorsum ad mundum, ac infima deorsum ad se; et quia haec versa sunt deorsum, cogitat homo sicut a se, cum tamen a Deo.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: supra spiritualis