ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING MARRIAGE. ¹

ORDER OF THE CHAPTERS.

PART FIRST.

I. - MARRIAGES IN HEAVEN [See the same subject treated of in the published work concerning Conjugial Love 27-41].

II. - THE STATE OF CONSORTS AFTER DEATH [Conjugial Love 45-54].

III. - LOVE TRULY CONJUGIAL [Conjugial Love 57-73].

IV. - THE ORIGIN OF LOVE TRULY CONJUGIAL, FROM THE MARRIAGE OF GOOD AND TRUTH [Conjugial Love 83-102].

V. - THE MARRIAGE OF THE LORD AND THE CHURCH, AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH IT [Conjugial Love 116-131].

VI. - THE CHASTE AND THE UNCHASTE [Conjugial Love 138-150].

VII. - UNIVERSALS CONCERNING CONJUGIAL LOVE [Conjugial Love 209-230]. ²

The delight of conjugial love is holy and chaste [Conjugial Love 144, 346].

Conjugial love regards the eternal [Conjugial Love 38, 44, 200, 216].

VIII. - THE CAUSES of COLDNESSES, OF SEPARATIONS, AND OF DIVORCES, WITH CONSORTS [Conjugial Love 234-260].

IX. - THE CAUSES OF APPARENT LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND FAVOR WITH CONSORTS [Conjugial Love 271-292].

X. - THE CHANGE OF THE STATE OF LIFE WITH MAN AND WITH WOMAN BY MARRIAGE, FROM WHICH THE YOUNG MAN BECOMES A HUSBAND, AND THE VIRGIN BECOMES A WIFE [Conjugial Love 184-206].

XI. - CONJUNCTION OF SOULS AND MINDS BY MARRIAGE; WHICH CONJUNCTION IS MEANT BY THE WORDS OF THE LORD, THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER TWO, BUT ONE FLESH [Conjugial Love 156-181 ³ ].

XII. - BETROTHALS AND NUPTIALS [Conjugial Love 295-314].

XIII. - REPEATED MARRIAGES [Conjugial Love 317-325].

XIV. - POLYGAMY [Conjugial Love 332-352].

XV. - JEALOUSY [Conjugial Love 357-379].

XVI. - THE LOVE OF INFANTS, OR PARENTAL LOVE, AND ITS CONJUNCTION WITH CONJUGIAL LOVE [Conjugial Love 385-414].

PART SECOND.

I. - THE OPPOSITION OF CONJUGIAL LOVE AND SCORTATORY LOVE [Conjugial Love 423-443].

II. - FORNICATION; ALSO CONCERNING KEEPING A MISTRESS [Conjugial Love 444-460[*]].

III. - CONCUBINAGE [Conjugial Love 462-476].

IV. - ADULTERIES AND THEIR DEGREES [Conjugial Love 478-499].

V. - THE LUST OF VARIETIES [Conjugial Love 506-510].

VI. - THE LUST OF DEFLORATION [Conjugial Love 501-505].

VII. - THE LUST OF VIOLATION [Conjugial Love 511, 512].

VIII. - LUST OF SEDUCING INNOCENCIES [Conjugial Love 513, 514].

IX. - THE CORRESPONDENCE OF SCORTATIONS AND ADULTERIES WITH THE VIOLATION OF SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE, WHICH IS THE MARRIAGE OF GOOD AND TRUTH [Conjugial Love 515-520].

X. - THE IMPUTATION OF EACH LOVE, SCORTATORY AND CONJUGIAL [Conjugial Love 523-531].

GENERAL CONTENTS.

1. Marriages in heaven (2-30) [Conjugial Love 27-41].

2. The origin of conjugial love (31-76) [Conjugial Love 83-102].

3. The delights of love truly conjugial (77-146) [Conjugial Love 183; see also 69, 144, 155, 293, 294].

4. The connection of conjugial love with all the loves of heaven (147-222) [Conjugial Love 388-390].

5. Masculine and feminine conjugial love, specifically; and the intelligence of each (223-303) [Conjugial Love 218; see also 32, 61, 88, 90, 168].

6. The marriage of good and truth (304-407) [Conjugial Love 83-102, 122, 123].

7. The differences and the variety of conjugial love, according to the states of the church with men (408-568) [Conjugial Love 130].

8. The increments of love truly conjugial, and the decrease of love not truly conjugial (769-763) [Conjugial Love 162, 184-200, 213, 214, 432, 433]. ⁵

9. Conjugial similitude and dissimilitude (564-852) [Conjugial Love 227-229, 246].

10. The causes of coldnesses, separations, and divorces, with consorts (853-1018) [Conjugial Love 234-260].

11. Polygamy, or plurality of wives (1019-1110) [Conjugial Love 332-352].

12. Betrothals and nuptials (1111-1193) [Conjugial Love 295-314].

13. The difference between the love of the sex with beasts and the love of the sex with men (1194-1251) [Conjugial Love 94, 137, 230, 416; see also the posthumous treatise, Concerning Divine Love, 21].

14. The change of state of woman and of man by marriage; from which change the virgin becomes a wife, and the young man a husband (1252-1286) [Conjugial Love 184-200].

15. The state of widowers and of widows; also concerning repeated marriages (1287-1300) [Conjugial Love 317-325].

16. The marriage of the Lord with the church (1301-1344) [Conjugial Love 116-131].

17. Correspondence of the marriage of the Lord and the church with things relating to marriage with angels and men (1345-1457) [Conjugial Love 125-127].

18. Natural conjugial potency and spiritual conjugial potency (1459-1585) [Conjugial Love 220, 221].

19. The causes of love, friendship, and favor, between consorts (1586-1641) [Conjugial Love 180, 214, 290].

20. The love of infants, or parental love (1642-1700) [Conjugial Love 176, 211].

21. The conjunction of conjugial love with love of infants or parental love (1701-1718) [Conjugial Love 385-414].

22. The state of two consorts after death (1719-1737) [Conjugial Love 45-54].

SCORTATORY LOVE (1738. seq.).

1. Jealousy (1739-1791) [Conjugial Love 357-379].

2. Fornication (1792-1848) [Conjugial Love 444-460][*].

It there treats:

(1) Concerning keeping a mistress (1806, seq. [Conjugial Love 459, 460]):

(2) Concerning the lust of varieties (1811) [Conjugial Love 506-510]):

(3) Concerning the lust of defloration (1814) [Conjugial Love 501-505]):

(4) Concerning the lust of violation (1419) [Conjugial Love 511, 512]):

(5) Concerning the lust of seducing innocencies (1823) [Conjugial Love 513, 514].

3. Concubinage (1849-1873) [Conjugial Love 462-467].

4. Adulteries (1874-1909) [Conjugial Love 478-499].

5. The opposition of conjugial love and scortatory love (1910-1949) [Conjugial Love 423-443].

6. The correspondence of whoredoms and adulteries with the violation of spiritual marriage, which is the marriage of good and truth (n.) 1950-2001) [Conjugial Love 515-520].

CONTENTS OF THE REMAINING ARTICLES.

1. The perception and the wisdom proper to man and proper to woman, also the conjunction of man and woman by them (2007) [Conjugial Love 163-173].

2. Duties proper to man and proper to woman; also the conjunction of man and woman by them (2023) [Conjugial Love 174-176].

3. The transcription of the love of his own (proprii) with the man, into conjugial love with the wife (2036) [Conjugial Love 32, 88, 156[*], 192, 293, 353].

4. The faculties, inclinations, affections and qualities of men and of women, and their conjunction by marriage (2047) [Conjugial Love 163-180].

5. Proprium in man, and proprium in woman; and their transcription into conjugial love (2048) [Conjugial Love 32, 156, 163-173].

6. Coldnesses in marriages (2049) [Conjugial Love 234-260].

7. Difficulties in understanding the conjunctions of consorts, and the varieties therefrom (2050).

MEMORABILIA.

Consorts from the third heaven were seen, borne in a chariot, and descending; described as to face and as to garments; having spoken with me, they let down a parchment on which were inscribed arcana of conjugial love (1, p. 16) [Conjugial Love 42, 43].

The correspondence of conjugial love with fire, with the colors of the rainbow, with fragrant things, with rose-gardens and arbors, with winged things and animals, represented by angels (29, p. 42 1/2, 43) [Conjugial Love 76, 293, 294, 316].

The nuptial garden which appears round about the houses while nuptials are celebrated; and the Divine Providence which encompasses marriages: from the discourse of a certain wise person in the garden (76, p. 49) [Conjugial Love 316].

There were seen consorts from the third heaven; at first appearing as infants decked with garlands, afterwards of their proper stature. They had lived a thousand years in conjugial blessedness. Conjugial love, as it is in that heaven, is described; it is from wisdom and from the love of wisdom, and it is with those who do uses, etc. (146, p. 50) [Conjugial Love 137].

Something about the magnificent and splendid things in heaven: next it is told whence angels have perpetual potency: confirmed by reasons, given by an angel (222, p. 46 1/2, 47) [Conjugial Love 12-20, 355, 356].

A paper on which was inscribed, "The marriage of Good and Truth;" - how it appeared on the way, when let down to the earth by an angel, and how it was changed: also many things about that marriage, in the whole heaven and in the church (301, p. 46) [Conjugial Love 115].

Adulterers seen like satyrs, in the company of harlots, in a wood and in a cavern there; afterwards in a house: where they were speaking heinous things about marriages, nature, and religion (407) [Conjugial Love 521].

A discussion concerning God and nature, - (1) Whether nature is of life, or life of nature: (2) Whether the center is of the expanse, or the expanse of the center: (3) Concerning the center and the expanse of nature and of life (568, p. 79) [Conjugial Love 380].

Concerning a certain garden, in which there were several married pairs; also conversations there respecting love, wisdom and use; that the three proceed from the Lord, and that hence are conjugial love and its ineffable delights: much concerning these and their origin (763, p. 41) [Conjugial Love 183].)

Concerning a young man who boasted of his whoredom; he was conducted into heaven, and there he was held by turns in his externals and his internals: while in externals he saw heavenly things, but while in internals he saw the opposite (concerning which see 852, p. 77) [Conjugial Love 477].

While following the light, I came to the Temple of Wisdom, around which there dwelt those who were wise; there I conversed with them concerning the cause of the beauty of the female sex (1018, p. 45) [Conjugial Love 56].

Of the new things revealed by the Lord: as concerning the spiritual sense of the Word, and concerning correspondences, concerning heaven and hell, concerning the spiritual world and the sun there; also concerning conjugial love, as being according to religion: but that these things are not received in the world was testified by experience (1108, p. 48, also 50) [Conjugial Love 532-534].

Discussions, by the wise, of the following subjects:

(1) What the image of God is, and what the likeness of God:

(2) That man is not born into love and into knowledge, as the beasts are, but only into capacity to know and inclination to love:

(3) Concerning the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (1193, p. 60) [Conjugial Love 132-136].

Concerning Athenaeum, Parnassium, and Heliconeum: conversation with ancient wise men, and with two newly come from the earth, about men who had been found in the forest; also concerning things that were said in favor of nature and the life of beasts, compared with the life of men (1251, p. 64) [Conjugial Love 151-154[ ¹ ].

Again three new-comers were conducted to Athenaeum, - a priest, a politician, and a philosopher; who reported, as news from the earth, that a certain person had written various things about the life of men after death and about the spiritual world; and they told how these subjects were discussed on earth (1286, p. 66) [Conjugial Love 182].

A tumult against three priests, who preached that with adulterers there is no acknowledgment of God, and consequently that they have not heaven; also what happened to them, out of heaven (1300, p. 75) [Conjugial Love 500].

Concerning a novitiate who meditated about heaven and hell, and who was told to make inquiry, and to learn what delight is: he was led to three assemblies; in which he learned what the delight of heaven is, and what the delight of hell (1344, p. 54) [Conjugial Love 461].

A disputation by spirits concerning God and concerning nature, in favor of nature from devils, and in favor of God from angels: also that man may confirm himself in favor of God, more than for nature, from the things that he can see: those things are adduced which were written on this subject in Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Love and Divine Wisdom (1458, p. 62) [Conjugial Love 415-422].

A melody was heard concerning chaste love of the sex; and that they have that love who are in love truly conjugial, and thence in fullest potency (1585, p. 64) [Conjugial Love 55].

Various reasonings about the soul; and finally that the soul is the man living after death, because it is the form of all the affections of love, and of all the perceptions of wisdom, and is their receptacle (1641, p. 70) [Conjugial Love 315].

After this there was a conversation about the spiritual and the natural; and it was shown what differences there are between them, as to languages, writings, and thoughts: the conversation was renewed when looking at a moth, and observing that when divided it was more and more multiform, and not more and more simple (1699, p. 72) [Conjugial Love 326-329].

Wise men were called together from nine kingdoms of Europe, to give their opinion concerning the origin of conjugial love, and concerning its virtue and potency; and at last the prize, which was a turban, was given to an African (1718, p. 30) [Conjugial Love 103-114].

Three orators from France discoursed concerning the origin of the beauty of the female sex; one said that it was from love, another from wisdom, and the third from the conjunction of love and wisdom (1737, p. 57 1/2, 58) [Conjugial Love 381-384].

Concerning two angels, who had died in infancy, and who could not perceive what whoredom is, because it is not from creation. Conversation about it, and concerning evil; how evil exists, when from creation there is only good (1738, p. 86) [Conjugial Love 444].

Exclamations were heard, "O how just," "O how learned," "O how wise;" and it is here said of those called just, that they were those who gave judgment from friendship, and were able skillfully to pervert all things; they had no understanding of things that were just: their assemblage is described (1791, p. 37) [Conjugial Love 231].

Preliminary statements concerning the joys of heaven, and concerning nuptials there (1826-1848, p. 1) [Conjugial Love 1-25].

Concerning the love of dominion from the love of self; with politicians, that they wish to be kings and emperors; with canons, that they wish to be gods. Concerning devils that were seen, who had been in such love; also concerning two popes (1873, p. 56) [Conjugial Love 261-266].

Again in Athenaeum; where three new-comers were heard to say that they had believed that in heaven there were no administrations and works, because there was eternal rest; and it was shown that doing uses is that rest; there was also mention of books and writings; and it was said that there are these also in heaven, for all substantial things which are called spiritual are there (1909, p. 68) [Conjugial Love 207].

Of those concerning whom was the exclamation, "O how learned:" they were those who go no farther in their reasoning than to question whether a thing is so, and who are called reasoners (1948, p. 38) [Conjugial Love 232].

Of those concerning whom was the exclamation, "O how wise:" they were those who were able to make whatever they pleased to be true, and were called confirmers (1949, p. 30) [Conjugial Love 233].

A conversation of angels with three novitiates concerning nuptials in heaven (various things, 2001, p. 17) [Conjugial Love 44].

Golden rain was seen: I was conducted to a hall where husbands and wives instructed me concerning conjugial love; also concerning its delights, from the wives there (2002, p. 34) [Conjugial Love 155 [*].

Conversation with those who lived in the golden age, concerning conjugial love, and in regard to their marriages (2003, p. 20, seq. [Conjugial Love 75].

Conversation with those who lived in the silver age; this, too, concerning conjugial love (2004) [Conjugial Love 76].

Conversation with those who lived in the copper age (2005) [Conjugial Love 77].

Conversation with those who lived in the iron age; they were polygamists (2006) [Conjugial Love 78].

Conversation with those who lived after those four ages; they were whoremongers and adulterers (2034) [Conjugial Love 79, 80].

Of the conversion of this age into a golden age by the Lord; concerning which the angels glorified the Lord (2035) [Conjugial Love 81].

Concerning one's own intelligence or prudence, that it, is not [anything] (2051, p. 59) [Conjugial Love 353].

Whether conjugial love and love of [their own] beauty coexist in women; and whether conjugial love and the love of their own intelligence coexist in men (2052, p. 52) [Conjugial Love 330, 331].

Again the golden rain was seen, and some arcana respecting conjugial love in women were disclosed (2053, p. 35) [Conjugial Love 208].

Spiritual coldness has its seat in the highest region (2054, p. 51) [Conjugial Love 270].

Concerning those who are in the love of the world (p. 90) [Conjugial Love 267-269].

The delights of conjugial love are delights of wisdom (p. 91) [Conjugial Love 293]. ⁵

And the pleasures of scortatory love are pleasures of insanity (p. 92) [Conjugial Love 294].

Fusnotat:

209. UNIVERSAL MATTERS RELATING TO MARRIAGES

There are very many points in regard to marriage which, if presented in detail, would swell this book into an immense volume. For we could present a detailed treatment of various particulars relating to similarities and dissimilarities between partners; to the elevation of natural conjugial love into spiritual conjugial love, and the conjunction of the two; to the gradual growth of the one and the gradual decline of the other; to the varieties and diversities in each; to the intelligence in wives; to the universal conjugial atmosphere emanating from heaven, and the one opposite to it from hell; to the way these flow in and are received; and many other topics besides, which, if they were set out point by point, would expand this work into so large a tome it would weary the reader.

For this reason, and to avoid useless prolixities, we consolidate these items into this chapter on "Universal Matters Relating to Marriages." As in previous chapters, however, we will divide them into discussions under their own headings, as follows:

1. The special sense of conjugial love is the sense of touch.

2. In the case of people who are in a state of truly conjugial love, their capacity for growing wise increases, but with those who are not in a state of conjugial love, it decreases.

3. In the case of people who are in a state of truly conjugial love, their happiness in living together increases, but with those who are not in a state of conjugial love, it decreases.

4. In the case of people who are in a state of truly conjugial love, their union of minds increases, and with it, their friendship, but with those who are not in a state of conjugial love, these both decrease.

5. People who are in a state of truly conjugial love continually wish to be one person, but those who are not in a state of conjugial love want to be two separate individuals.

6. People who are in a state of truly conjugial love look to eternity in their marriage, while the opposite is the case with those who are not in a state of conjugial love.

7. Conjugial love has its seat in chaste wives, but still their love depends on their husbands.

8. Wives love the bonds of marriage, provided that their husbands love them too.

9. The intelligence of women is by nature modest, gracious, peaceable, compliant, soft and gentle, whereas the intelligence of men is by nature critical, rough, resistant, argumentative, and given to intemperance.

10. Wives do not experience a state of arousal as their husbands do, but theirs is a state of readiness to receive.

11. The sexual abundance men have is according to their love of propagating the truths of their wisdom and according to their love of performing useful services.

12. Determinations to intercourse are at the good pleasure of the husband.

13. There is a conjugial atmosphere which flows in from the Lord through heaven into each and every thing of the universe, extending even to its lowest forms.

14. This atmosphere is received by the female sex and communicated through it to the male sex, and not the other way around.

15. Where a truly conjugial love exists, this atmosphere is received by the wife, and by the husband solely through his wife.

16. Where the love is not conjugial, this atmosphere is indeed received by the wife, but not by the husband through her.

17. Truly conjugial love can be present in one of the partners and not at the same time in the other.

18. Married partners bring with them [various similarities and] ¹ various dissimilarities, both internal and external.

19. Various similar qualities can be joined together, but not with dissimilar ones.

20. For people who desire truly conjugial love, the Lord provides a similar partner, and if one is not found on earth, He provides one in heaven.

21. To the degree that a person's conjugial love wanes and is lost, his character approaches that of an animal.

Explanation of these statements now follows.

Fusnotat:

416. Afterwards, seeing me close by, the two angels said with respect to me to the spirits standing around, "We know that this man has written about God and nature. Let us hear what he has to say."

So they came over and asked me to read to them what I had written about God and nature; and I read therefore the following: ¹

People who believe that the Divine operates in every single thing of nature, can, from the many things which they see in nature, confirm themselves on the side of the Divine, just as well as and even more than those who confirm themselves on the side of nature. For people who confirm themselves on the side of the Divine pay heed to the marvels which they see in the propagations of both plants and animals.

In the propagations of plants, they note how a tiny seed cast into the ground produces a root, by means of the root a stem, and then in succession branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, culminating in new seeds - altogether as though the seed knew the order of progression or the process by which to renew itself. What rational person can suppose that the sun, which is nothing but fire, has this knowledge? Or that it can impart to its heat and its light the power to produce such effects, and in those effects can create marvels and intend a useful result?

Any person having an elevated rational faculty, on seeing and considering these wonders, cannot but think that they issue from one who possesses infinite wisdom, thus from God.

People who acknowledge the Divine also see and think this; but people who do not acknowledge the Divine do not see and think it, because they do not want to. Therefore they allow their rational faculty to descend into their sensual self, which draws all its ideas from the light in which the bodily senses are, and which defends the fallacies of these, saying, "Do you not see the sun accomplishing these effects by its heat and its light? What is something that you do not see? Is it anything?"

[2] People who confirm themselves on the side of the Divine pay heed to the marvels which they see in the propagations of animals - to mention here only those in eggs, as that in them lies the embryo in its seed or inception, with everything it requires to the time it hatches, and with everything that develops after it hatches until it becomes a bird or flying thing in the form of its parent. Also that if one gives attention to the form, it is such that, if one thinks deeply, one cannot help but come into a state of amazement - seeing, for example, that in the smallest of these creatures as in the largest, indeed in the invisible as in the visible (i.e., in tiny insects as in large birds or animals), there are sensory organs which serve for sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch; also motor organs, which are muscles, for they fly and walk; as well as viscera surrounding hearts and lungs, which are actuated by brains. That even lowly insects possess such component parts is known from their anatomy as described by certain investigators, most notably by Swammerdam ² in his Biblia Naturae ³ .

[3] People who attribute all things to nature see these wonders, indeed, but they think only that they exist, and say that nature produces them. They say this because they have turned their mind away from thinking about the Divine; and when people who have turned away from thinking about the Divine see wonders in nature, they are unable to think rationally, still less spiritually, but think instead in sensual and material terms. They then think within the confines of nature from the standpoint of nature and not above it, in the way that those do who are in hell. They differ from animals only in their having the power of rationality, that is, in their being able to understand and so think otherwise if they will.

[4] People who have turned away from thinking about the Divine when they see wonders in nature, and as a result become sense-oriented, do not consider that the sight of the eye is so crude that it sees a number of tiny insects as a single, indistinct mass, and yet that each of them is organically formed to be capable of sensation and movement, thus that they have been endowed with fibers and vessels, including little hearts, air passages, viscera and brains; that these have been woven together out of the finest elements in nature; and that these structures correspond to some activity of life, by which even the least of these are individually actuated.

Since the sight of the eye is so crude that a number of such creatures, each with countless components in it, looks to it like a small, indistinct mass, and yet people who are sense-oriented think and judge in accordance with that sight, it is apparent how obtuse their minds have become, and thus in what darkness they are in respect to spiritual matters.

Fusnotat: