angel presented himself, and said, "Do you understand what you
have seen?" I replied, "In a small degree." He said, "That palace
represents the habitations of conjugial love, such as are in human
minds. Its highest part, into which the doves flew, represents the
highest region of the mind, where conjugial love dwells in the love of
good with its wisdom; the middle part, into which the birds of paradise
flew, represents the middle region, where conjugial love dwells in the
love of truth with its intelligence: and the lowest part, into which the
swans flew, represents the lowest region of the mind, where conjugial
love dwells in the love of what is just and right with its knowledge.
The three pairs of birds also signify these things; the pair of turtle
doves signifies conjugial love of the highest region, the pair of birds
of paradise conjugial love of the middle region, and the pair of swans
conjugial love of the lowest region. Similar things are signified by the
three kinds of trees about the palace, the olives, palms, and beeches.
We in heaven call the highest region of the mind celestial, the middle
spiritual, and the lowest natural; and we perceive them as stories in a
house, one above another, and an ascent from one to the other by steps
as by stairs; and in each part as it were two apartments, one for love,
the other for wisdom, and in front as it were a chamber, where love with
its wisdom, or good with its truth, or, what is the same, the will with
its understanding, consociate in bed. In that palace are presented as in
an image all the arcana of conjugial love." On hearing this, being
inflamed with a desire of seeing it, I asked whether anyone was
permitted to enter and see it, as it was a representative palace? He
replied, "None but those who are in the third heaven, because to them
every representative of love and wisdom becomes real: from them I have
heard what I have related to you, and also this particular, that love
truly conjugial dwells in the highest region in the midst of mutual
love, in the marriage-chamber or apartment of the will, and also in the
midst of the perceptions of wisdom in the marriage-chamber or apartment
of the understanding, and that they consociate in bed in the chamber
which is in front, in the east." I also asked, "Why are there two
marriage-chambers?" He said, "The husband is in the marriage-chamber of
the understanding, and the wife in that of the will." I then asked,
"Since conjugia