455. (10) The atmosphere of a lust to fornicate, as it is in its beginning, is intermediate between the atmosphere of licentious love and the atmosphere of conjugial love, and forms the point of equilibrium. The latter two atmospheres, the atmosphere of licentious love and the atmosphere of conjugial love, were discussed in the previous chapter, and we showed there that an atmosphere of licentious love ascends from hell, and that an atmosphere of conjugial love descends from heaven (no. 435); that in both worlds these two atmospheres meet, but do not combine together (no. 436); that between these two atmospheres there is an equilibrium, and mankind lives in it (no. 437); and that a person can turn himself in the direction of either atmosphere, but in the measure that he turns to one, in the same measure he turns away from the other (no. 438). (What we mean by atmospheres may seen from no. 434 and the places cited there.) [2] The atmosphere of a lust to fornicate is intermediate between these two atmospheres and forms the point of equilibrium for the reason that when anyone is in it, he can turn himself in the direction of the atmosphere of conjugial love, which is to say, toward that love, and also in the direction of the atmosphere of a love of adultery, which is to say, toward the love of it. However, if he turns toward conjugial love, he turns himself to heaven; if toward a love of adultery, he turns himself to hell. Either alternative is at the person's option, pleasure and will, in order that he may act freely in accordance with his reason, and not from instinct, thus that he may be a human being, adopting what flows in for himself, and not an animal, which adopts nothing of anything flowing in for itself. We say the lust to fornicate as it is in its beginning, because it is then in its intermediate state. Who does not know that whatever a person does in the beginning originates from lust, because it originates from the natural self? And who does not know that that lust is not imputed to him when, from being natural, he becomes spiritual? It is the same with the lust of fornication when the person's love becomes conjugial.