in the same manner as those who are in spiritual love;
but they do this either from memory or from the understanding elevated by
itself into the light of heaven. Nevertheless, what they say and do is
comparatively like fruit that appears beautiful on the surface but is
wholly rotten within; or like almonds which from the shell appear sound
but are wholly worm-eaten within. These things in the spiritual world are
called fantasies, and by means of them harlots, there called sirens, make
themselves appear handsome, and adorn themselves with beautiful garments;
but when the fantasy is dissipated the sirens appear like ghosts, and are
like devils who make themselves angels of light. For when that corporeal
love draws its understanding down from its elevation, as it does when
man is alone and thinks from his own love, then he thinks against God in
favor of nature, against heaven in favor of the world, and against the
truths and goods of the church in favor of the falsities and evils of hell;
thus against wisdom. From this the character of those who are called
corporeal men can be seen: for they are not corporeal in understanding,
but corporeal in love; that is, they are not corporeal in understanding
when they converse in company, but are so when they hold converse with
themselves in spirit; and being such in spirit, therefore after death they
become, both in love and in understanding, spirits that are called
corporeal. Those who in the world had been in a supreme love of ruling
from the love of self, and had also surpassed others in elevation of
understanding, then appear in body like Egyptian mummies, and in mind
gross and silly. Who in the world at the present day is aware that this
love in itself is of such a nature? Yet a love of ruling from love of use
is possible, but only from love of use for the sake of the common good,
not for the sake of self. It is difficult, however, for man to distinguish
the one love from the other, although the difference between them is like
that between heaven and hell. The differences between these two loves of
ruling may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 551-565).

425. (20) The capacity to understand called rationality and the capacity
to act called freedom, still remain. These two capacities belonging to
man have been treated of above (n. 264-267). Man has these two capacities
that he may from being natural become spiritual, that is, may be
regenerated. For, as was said above, it