preceding article), it can be seen that all who are in the love of rule
springing from love of self, turn their backs to the Lord. They thus face
in opposite directions, because those who are in love to the Lord love
nothing more than to be led by the Lord, and will that the Lord alone
shall rule; while those who are in the love of rule springing from love
of self, love nothing more than to be led by themselves, and will that
themselves alone may rule. This is called a love of rule springing from
love of self, because there is a love of rule springing from a love of
performing uses, which is a spiritual love, because it makes one with
love towards the neighbor. Still this cannot be called a love of rule,
but a love of performing duties.

143. Every spirit, of whatever quality, turns to his own ruling love,
because love is the life of every one (as was shown in Part I., n. 1-3);
and life turns its receptacles, called members, organs, and viscera, thus
the whole man, to that society which is in a love similar to itself, thus
where its own love is.

144. Since the love of rule springing from love of self is wholly opposed
to love to the Lord, the spirits who are in that love of rule turn the
face backwards from the Lord, and therefore look with their eyes to the
western quarters of the spiritual world; and being thus bodily in a
reversed position, they have the east behind them, the north at their
right, and the south at their left. They have the east behind them because
they hate the Lord; they have the north at their right, because they love
fallacies and falsities therefrom; and they have the south at their left,
because they despise the light of wisdom. They may turn themselves round
and round, and yet all things which they see about them appear similar to
their love. All such are sensual-natural; and some are of such a nature
as to imagine that they alone live, looking upon others as images. They