IV. Love in general

HD 54. The very life of man is his love, and such as the love is, such is the life, yea, such is the whole man. But it is the governing or ruling love which constitutes the man. That love has many loves subordinate to it, which are derivations. These appear under another form, but still they are all in the ruling love, and constitute, with it, one kingdom. The ruling love is as their king and head; it directs them, and, through them, as mediate ends, it regards and intends its own end, which is the primary and ultimate end of them all; and this it does both directly and indirectly. That which is of the ruling love is what is loved above all things.

HD 55. That which man loves above all things is continually present in his thought, and also in his will, and constitutes his most essential life. As for example, be who loves riches above all things, whether money or possessions, continually revolves in his mind how he may obtain them. He inmostly rejoices when he acquires them, he grieves inmostly when he loses them; his heart is in them. He who loves himself above all things regards himself in each thing: he thinks of himself, he speaks of himself, he acts for the sake of himself, for his life is the life of self.

HD 56. Man has for an end that which he loves above all things; he regards it in each and all things. It is in his will like the latent current of a river, which draws and bears him away, even when he is doing something else; for it is this which animates him. It is such that one man explores and also sees it in another, and either leads him according to it, or acts with him.

HD 57. Man is altogether of such a quality as the ruling principle of his life is; by this he is distinguished from others according to this is his heaven if he be good, and his hell if he be evil. It is his will itself, his proprium, and his nature, for it is the very esse of his life: this cannot be changed after death, because it is the man himself.

HD 58. All the delight, pleasure, and happiness which anyone has, are derived from his ruling love, and are according to it; for that which man loves, he calls delightful, because he feels it to be so: he may, indeed, also call that delightful which he thinks but does not love; but this is not the delight of his life. The delight of love is what he esteems good; and that which is undelightful is to him evil.

HD 59. There are two loves, from which, as from their very fountains, all goods and truths exist; and there are two loves, from which all evils and falsities exist. The two loves, from which are all goods and truths, are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; and the two loves from which are all evils and falsities, are the love of self and the love of the world. The two latter loves are in direct opposition to the two former loves.

HD 60. The two loves from which are all goods and truths, and which, as has just been stated, are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, constitute heaven with man, and therefore they reign in heaven; and since they constitute heaven with man, they also constitute the church with him. The two loves, whence are all evils and falsities, and which, as has just been said, are the love of self and the love of the world, constitute hell with man; wherefore also they reign in hell.

HD 61. The two loves whence are all goods and truths, and which, as already observed, are the loves of heaven, open and form the internal spiritual man, because they reside there. But the two loves whence are all evils and falsities, when they rule, shut and destroy the internal spiritual man, and render man natural and sensual, in proportion to the extent and quality of their dominion.

HD 62. Love is the esse of man’s life (AC 5002). Man, spirit, and angel, are altogether as their love is (AC 6872, 10177, 10284). Man has for an end what he loves (AC 3796). What man loves and has for an end reigns universally with him, that is, in each and all things (AC 3796, 5130, 5949). Love is spiritual heat, and the very vital principle of man (AC 1589, 2146, 3338, 4906, 7081-7086, 9954, 10740). All the interiors with man, which are of his understanding and will, are disposed in a form according to his ruling love (AC 2023, 3189, 6690). Love is spiritual conjunction (AC 1594, 2057, 3939, 4018, 5807, 6195, 6196, 7081-7086, 7501, 10130). Hence all in the spiritual world are consociated according to their loves (ibid). Affection is continuation of love (AC 3938). All delight, pleasure, happiness, and joy of heart, are of love; and their quality is according to the quality of the love (AC 994, 995, 2204). There are as many genera and species of delights and pleasures as there are of the affections which are of the love (AC 994, 995, 2204). The delight of the love is more vile in proportion as it is more external (AC 996). Man after death has such a life as is the quality of his love (AC 2363).

HD 63. Further particulars respecting love and its essence and quality, may be known from what has been said and shown above, concerning good and truth; also from what has been said and quoted concerning the will and the understanding; and also from what has been said and quoted concerning the internal and the external man; because all things which are of the love refer themselves either to goods or to evils; and so also all things which are of the will: and since the two loves of heaven open and form the internal spiritual man; but the two loves of hell close and destroy it. Hence applications may be made and conclusions drawn respecting the quality of love in general and particular.

HD 64. Love is also treated of in the work on Heaven and Hell; namely, that the Divine of the Lord in the heavens is love to Him and love towards the neighbor (HH 13-19). All who are in the hells are in evils, and thence in falsities from the loves of self and of the world (HH 551-565). The delights of every love in the other life are turned into corresponding things (HH 485-490). Spiritual heat in its essence is love (HH 133-140).