Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 388
loves of heaven, but into infernal societies when it is made up
of the loves of hell. That all the thought and affection of spirits
and of angels has extension into societies may be seen above, in
the chapters on the wisdom of the angels of heaven, and on the
form of heaven which determines affiliations and
communications there.
478. But what has been said thus far appeals only to the
thought of the rational man. That it may also be presented to
the perception derived from the senses, I will add some
experiences by which it may be illustrated and confirmed. First,
man after death is his own love or his own will. Second, man
continues to eternity such as his will or ruling love is. Third,
the man who has heavenly and spiritual love goes to heaven,
while the man who has corporeal and worldly love, and no
heavenly and spiritual love, goes to hell. Fourth, unless faith is
from heavenly love it does not endure in man. Fifth, love in
act, that is, the life of man, is what endures.
479. (1) Man after death is his own love or his own will. This
has been proved to me by manifold experience. The entire
heaven is divided into societies according to differences of good
of love; and every spirit who is taken up into heaven and be
comes an angel is taken to the society where his love is; and
when he arrives there he is, as it were, at home, and in the
house where he was born; this the angel perceives, and is
affiliated with those there that are like himself. When he goes
away to another place he feels constantly a kind of resistance,
and a longing to return to his like, thus to his ruling love. Thus
are affiliations brought about in heaven; and in a like manner
in hell, where all are affiliated in accordance with loves that are
the opposites of heavenly loves. It has been shown above (n.
41–50 and 200–212) that both heaven and hell are composed
of societies, and that they are all distinguished according to
differences of love.
[2] That man after death is his own love might also be seen
from the fact that whatever does not make one with his ruling