We probably all have a general idea of what affections are. Still, it's helpful to focus on them directly, to develop an understanding of the role they play in our spiritual development.

An affection is a response to something that affects you, that has a mental and spiritual effect on you. Each one of us has a whole unique collection of affections that makes us what we are. The stronger ones of these we can call loves. I can say that I love my grandchildren, and when I think of each one, it affects me in a different way. I also have an affection for strawberries, but the ranking of that affection is far lower than an affection for a grandchild! What is inmost in a person, the mind or spirit that will live onward in the spiritual world, is this collection of loves.

This love can be thought of as a tree, a single thing, but one with many branches and very many small twigs at the ends. All these twigs may be thought of as affections, or "continuations of love" (Arcana Coelestia 3938), the love that is the complete tree. Each affection, or twig, is singular and different, but they are all connected to form the tree. (When trees are mentioned in the Word, some general human characterization or type of love is what is represented. See Judges, 9:7-20.)

Affections can be attached to physical things or mental ones, but the affection itself is spiritual. You can have affection for a piece of furniture, because it is well proportioned and beautiful, or because you built it yourself, or because it belonged to your grandmother and the bottom drawer was where she kept special toys for you. On a higher plane you can have an affection for truth. When you hear something or read something that clicks in your mind and makes you see clearly something that you had been wondering about, you have a feeling of delight because now you understand. But regardless of the plane they are on you can see that everyone has countless affections of all sorts, and if you contemplate your own you can see that you, the real you, is the total of all them, but that some are more powerful than others, more important to you.

We all usually have evil affections as well as good. We can want revenge on people who have hurt us, we can want more things just to have them, we can want our own way regardless of who we hurt. If we think about our affections and which ones are more powerful than others we can be warned about who we are and so have motivation to change for the better.

One of the things that makes human beings somewhat unique is that we can try to change our natures. We start out with a mixture of affections - some evil, and some good. If we're lucky, our parents and friends help to encourage the good ones, and quash the bad ones. As we mature, we start to take responsibility, and make more of our own choices. We can see things in ourselves that we don't like, and try to build habits that lead away from the destructive loves, and towards good ones.

If our own blend of affections is primarily steered by loving the Lord, and loving our neighbor, we're on the road to heaven. If it's primarily steered by a love of ourselves, we're not on a good road, and we need to change direction.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 1016 [3], 1895, 2363)