3875. And because with the inhabitants of this earth nearly everything of the nature of conjugial love is obliterated, it can be known especially from birds, that conjugial involves every kind of knowledge, not only as to the mode of conjunction, but also of building nests, laying eggs, brooding over them, extruding the chicks, covering, defending, feeding them, and many other things, thus that all knowledge follows from affection. Wherefore, whoever is in the affection of true faith, is in the knowledges of all things [pertaining to it], but when affection ceases, then knowledges remain to be insinuated through another avenue, viz. through an external one, or through the ear, which appears indeed to the ignorant as if it were the Lord, for by the things said from the knowledges of faith, it is known whether it is the Lord; but because they are knowledges and not affections, they are nothing else than images of the Lord without life, like a bird when turned into an inanimate bird of pearl, which yet flew away, and appeared beautiful, but was still void of life. It was shown to me to the life how knowledges, which do exist from affection are like such lifeless birds of pearl, and what was signified by the fact, that the perception was not that it was from the Lord, but that in each particular it was from themselves, though tacitly; and I even perceived that it was from myself; which state was that of certain inhabitants of Mars who induced their own state [upon me]. In this state I felt that it was from myself in each particular, and thus [I became aware that the impression] was not true [genuinum]. The state, therefore, is that which occurs when affection as the principle of knowledges ceases, and those knowledges yet remain. From perception I then learned also that such is the bird of pearl.