3946. I spoke about this matter with spirits, and about the reasons. There were three reasons why love appears to them so gross and lumpy, namely, that marriage love is nauseous to them, and when portrayed aroused disgust. Since the adulterers' idea of marriage or marriage love is such that they detest wives and women, the result is that as often as love is thought about, it appears in this way. As there is also no mutual love, but only hatred with all evil spirits, it follows that hatred is a reason for their crude mental image of love as of a heap of earth. The third reason is that they all persuade themselves that life is their own and their thinking is the finest of all, as well as their life, with the result that whenever these thoughts occur, something like a refined light arises, and regarding the life of the angels, and love which is their life, they have such crude mental images. Yet just the opposite is the case, namely, that love is the very purest of all things, and the most holy, and the most special, and that the opposing loves are not of life, but the densest, grossest confused something, so as to be nothing.
3946. Concerning which and the causes when I spoke with spirits [I learned that] the causes were three of love's existing in such a gross and lumpish form; namely, [first] that conjugial love is nauseated by them, which being represented excited loathing, since the idea of adulterers concerning marriage or conjugial love is such, that they detest wives and women, [whence] it follows that when love is thought of such a result takes place. As mutual love also is wholly wanting, and hatred [on the other hand] reigns with all evil spirits, it follows that hatred is a [second] cause of the gross idea concerning love as lump-like. The third is, that everyone persuades himself that life is his own; since [he regards] his thought, the most subtle of all things, [as his own], thus also his life; whence it flows that as often as that is thought of there occurs, as it were, a subtle light, and the life of the angels that are seen, and [their] love, which is [really] their life, are as gross ideas with them, when yet the fact is quite the contrary, love being the most pure, most holy, and most distinct life of all, and contrary loves being not of life, but a something most dense, most gross, and confused, so as to be almost nothing.
3946. de quibus cum loquutus cum spiritibus et de causis, causae tres erant, quod amor ita crassus et grumosus existat, nempe quod conjugialis amor iis nauseae est, quod repraesentatum, nauseam movebat; cum adulterorum idea de conjugio seu amore conjugiali talis est, ut detestentur uxores et faeminas, sequitur quod quoties cogitatur de amore, quod sic obveniat. Quod amor mutuus quoque nullus sit, sed odium apud omnes malos spiritus, sequitur quod odium sit causa crassae ideae de amore, sicut quod esset grumus, tertium quod quisque persuadeat sibi, quod vita sibi, ac cogitatio ejus omnium subtilissima, proinde vita ejus, inde fluit, quod quoties de ea cogitatur, obveniat subtilis lucis instar, et respective angelorum vita, et amor, qui eorum vita [est], tam crassae apud eos ideae; cum tamen contrarium sit, quod amor sit vita omnium purissima, et sanctissima, et distinctissima, et amores contrarii sint non vitae, sed densissimum quid, crassissimum, et confusum, ut nihil.