elf; and a life of self is a life from what is man's own, and what
is man's own, regarded in itself, is nothing but evil. He who loves
himself loves also those who belong to him, that is, in particular,
his children and grandchildren, and in general, all who are at one
with him, whom he calls his. To love these is to love himself, for he
regards them as it were in himself, and himself in them. Among those
whom he calls his are also all who commend, honor, and pay their
court to him.

557. What love of self is can be seen by comparing it with heavenly
love. Heavenly love consists in loving uses for the sake of uses, or
goods for the sake of goods, which are done by man in behalf of the
church, his country, human society, and a fellow-citizen; for this is
loving God and loving the neighbor, since all uses and all goods are
from God, and are the neighbor who is to be loved. But he who loves
these for the sake of himself loves them merely as servants, because
they are serviceable to him; consequently it is the will of one who
is in self-love that the church, his country, human societies, and
his fellow citizens, should serve him, and not he them, for he places
himself above them and places them beneath himself. Therefore so far
as any one is in love of self he separates himself from heaven,
because he separates himself from heavenly love.

558. [a.] Furthermore, so far as any one is in heavenly love, which
consists in loving uses and goods and being moved by delight of heart
when doing them for the sake of the church, country, human society,
and ones fellow-citizens, he is so far led by the Lord, because that
love is the love in which the Lord is, and which is from Him. But so
far as any one is in the love of self, which consists in performing
uses and goods for the sake of himself, so far he is led by himself;
and so far as any one is led by himself he is not led by the Lord.
And from this it also follows that so far as any one loves himself he
separates himself from the Divine, thus also from heaven. To be led
by one's self is to be led by what is one's own; and what is man's
own is nothing but evil; for man's inherited evil consists in loving
self more than God, and the world more than heaven.{1} Whenever man
looks to himself in the good that he does he is let into what is his
own, that is, into his inherited evils for he then looks from good to
himself and from himself to good, and therefore he presents an image
o