thence in a high
conceit of their own intelligence, enjoy a more sublime rationality than
many others; this, however, is only when they are in the thought of the
understanding, and not when they are in the affection of the will. The
affection of the will possesses a man's internal, whereas the thought of
the understanding possesses his external." The angel further declared
the reason why every man is constituted of the three loves above
mentioned; namely, the love of use, the love of the world, and the love
of self; which is, that he may think from God, although as from himself.
He also said, that the supreme principles in a man are turned upwards to
God, the middle outwards to the world, and the lowest downwards to self;
and since the latter are turned downwards, a man thinks as from himself,
when yet it is from God.

270. THE THIRD MEMORABLE RELATION. One morning on awaking from sleep my
thoughts were deeply engaged on some arcana of conjugial love, and at
length on this, "_In what region of the human mind does love truly
conjugial reside, and thence in what region does conjugial cold
reside_?" I knew that there are three regions of the human mind, one
above the other, and that in the lowest region dwells natural love; in
the superior, spiritual love; and in the supreme, celestial love; and
that in each region there is a marriage of good and truth; and good is
of love, and truth is of wisdom; that in each region there is a marriage
of love and wisdom; and that this marriage is the same as the marriage
of the will and the understanding, since the will is the receptacle of
love, and the understanding the receptacle of wisdom. While I was thus
deeply engaged in thought, lo! I saw two swans flying towards the north,
and presently two birds of paradise flying towards the south, and also
two turtle doves flying in the east: as I was watching their flight, I
saw that the two swans bent their course from the north to the east, and
the two birds of paradise from the south, also that they united with the
two doves in the east, and flew together to a certain lofty palace
there, about which there were olives, palms, and beeches. The palace had
three rows of windows, one above the other; and while I was making my
observations, I saw the swans fly into the palace through open windows
in the lowest row, the birds of paradise through others in the middle
row, and the doves through others in the highest. When I had observed
this, an