respect to each other; those who are more perfect, that is, who excel
in good, thus in love, wisdom, and intelligence, being in the middle;
those who are less pre-eminent being round about at a distance in
accordance with the decrease of their perfection. The arrangement is
like light diminishing from the middle to the circumference, those
who are in the middle being in the greatest light, and those towards
the circumference in less and less.


44. Like are drawn spontaneously as it were to their like; for with
their like they are as if with their own and at home, but with others
they are as if with strangers and abroad; also when with their like
they are in their freedom, and consequently in every delight of life.


45. All this makes clear that all in the heavens are affiliated by
good, and are distinguished according to the quality of the good.
Nevertheless it is not the angels who thus affiliate themselves, but
the Lord, from whom the good is. The Lord leads them, conjoins and
separates them, and preserves them in freedom proportionate to their
good. Thus He holds everyone in the life of his love and faith, of
his intelligence and wisdom, and the resulting happiness.{1}

{Footnote 1} All freedom pertains to love and affection, since
what a man loves, that he does freely (n. 2870, 3158, 8987,
8990, 9555, 9591). Because freedom pertains to love everyone's
life and delight is therefrom (n. 2873). Nothing appears as
one's own, except what is from his freedom (n. 2880). The
veriest freedom is to be led by the Lord, because one is thus
led by the love of good and truth (n. 892, 905, 2872, 2886,