Arcana Coelestia volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 26happiness, come solely from the Lord, and that they have not theleast of love, of life, or of happiness, from themselves. That it is theLord from whom all love comes was also represented by the greatluminary or “sun” at his transfiguration, for it is written:His face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light(Matt. 17:2).Inmost things are signified by the face, and the things that proceedfrom them by the raiment. Thus the Lord’s Divine was signified bythe “sun,” or love; and his human by the “light,” or wisdomproceeding from love.33. It is in everyone’s power very well to know that no life ispossible without some love, and that no joy is possible except thatwhich flows from love. Such however as is the love, such is the life,and such the joy: if you were to remove loves, or what is the samething, desires—for these are of love—thought would instantlycease, and you would become like a dead person, as has been shownme to the life. The loves of self and of the world have in them someresemblance to life and to joy, but as they are altogether contrary totrue love, which consists in a man’s loving the Lord above allthings, and his neighbor as himself, it must be evident that they arenot loves, but hatreds, for in proportion as anyone loves himselfand the world, in the same proportion he hates his neighbor, andthereby the Lord. Wherefore true love is love to the Lord, and truelife is the life of love from him, and true joy is the joy of that life.There can be but one true love, and therefore but one true life,whence flow true joys and true felicities, such as are those of theangels in the heavens.34. Love and faith admit of no separation, because theyconstitute one and the same thing; and therefore when mention isfirst made of “luminaries” they are regarded as one, and it is said,“Let there be [sit] luminaries in the expanse of the heavens.”Concerning this circumstance it is permitted me to relate thefollowing wonderful particulars. The celestial angels, by virtue ofthe celestial love in which they are from the Lord, are from thatlove in all the knowledges of faith, and are in such a life and light of