382. [a] In the inmost heaven there is genuine conjugial love because the angels there are in the marriage of good and truth, and also in innocence. The angels of the lower heavens are also in conjugial love, but only so far as they are in innocence; for conjugial love viewed in itself is a state of innocence; and this is why consorts who are in conjugial love enjoy heavenly delights together, which appear before their minds almost like the games of innocence, as between little children; for everything delights their minds, since heaven with its joy flows into every particular of their lives. For the same reason conjugial love is represented in heaven by the most beautiful objects. I have seen it represented by a maiden of indescribable beauty encompassed with a bright white cloud. It is said that the angels in heaven have all their beauty from conjugial love. The affections and thought from that love are represented by diamond-like auras with scintillations as if from fiery stones and rubies, which are attended by delights that affect the interiors of the mind. In a word, heaven represents itself in conjugial love, because heaven with the angels is the conjunction of good and truth, and it is this conjunction that makes conjugial love.
382. [b]* Marriages in heaven differ from marriages on the earth in that the procreation of offspring is another purpose of marriages on the earth, but not of marriages in heaven, since in heaven the procreation of good and truth takes the place of procreation of offspring. The former takes the place of the latter because marriage in heaven is a marriage of good and truth (as has been shown above); and as in that marriage good and truth and their conjunction are loved above all things so these are what are propagated by marriages in heaven. And because of this, in the Word births and generations signify spiritual births and generations, which are births and generations of good and truth; mother and father signify truth conjoined to good, which is what procreates; sons and daughters signify the truths and goods that are procreated; and sons-in-law and daughters-in-law conjunction of these, and so on.# From this it is clear that marriages in heaven are not like marriages on earth. In heaven there are spiritual marryings which are not to be called marryings, but conjunctions of minds from the marriage of good and truth. But on earth there are marryings, because these are not of the spirit alone but also of the flesh. And as there are no marryings in heaven, so the two consorts there are not called husband and wife; but from the angelic idea of the joining of two minds into one, each consort designates the other by a name signifying one's own, mutually and reciprocally. From these things it can be known how the Lord's words in regard to marryings (Luke xx. 35, 36), are to be understood. # "Conceptions", "pregnancies", "births", and "generations" signify such as are spiritual, that is, such as pertain to good and truth, or to love and faith (n. 613, 1145, 1255, 2020, 2584, 3860, 3868, 4070, 4668, 6239, 8042, 9325, 10249). Therefore "generation" and "birth" signify regeneration and rebirth through faith and love (n. 5160, 5598, 9042, 9845). "Mother" signifies the Church in respect of truth, and thus the truth of the Church, "father" the Church in respect of good, and thus the good of the Church (n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 5581, 8897). "Sons" signify affections for truth, and thus truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 2623, 3373, 4257, 8649, 9807). "Daughters" signify affections for good, and thus goods (n. 489-491, 2362, 3963, 6729, 6775, 6778, 9055). "Son-in-law" signifies truth associated with affection for good (n. 2389). "Daughter-in-law" signifies good associated with its truth (n. 4843).
* There are two nos. 382 in 1st Edition-Editor.