4694. CONCERNING INFLUX. To me, now for many years almost continually, it has been granted to notice, that all things and every single thing in their turn inflow into the thoughts and affections, and that this is by means of spirits and angels; so that, from constant experience itself, I can know this, and that still those things, when they were interior goods and truths, appeared exactly as if they were my own, or from my proprium. For angels do not inflow in any other way, than that it [the activity] appears to be the man's. They are in an interior sphere, which, hence, is not noticed in the exterior or natural sphere; and besides, the angels are of such a character that they arrogate nothing to themselves, as from themselves; but they know that [all] is from the Lord. Those, however, in whom interiors are not opened, and who are not in the belief that this is so; and because they love themselves, and hence their proprium, as is the case with all who are in falses and evils, - these are not able to perceive this, inasmuch as they are in the life of the body; and, after death, when they become spirits, it is contrary to their affection, and hence contrary to their delight to perceive that thoughts and affections inflow from another. When told that life is not theirs, but that it inflows, and that they [only] appear to live from themselves they turn away from it. They wish to live from themselves; and, when they are shown to the life, by experience, that all that they think inflows from others, then they do indeed confess that it is so; yet, still, after a little, they reject and deny it. This was confirmed by much experience to be so; and evil spirits, although they know that they speak by means of others [who also are called subjects], and they also say, when they are interrogated, that those subjects think nothing from themselves; still, they are unwilling to know, that they [themselves] think, and are acted upon, by others. And so great is their unwillingness, that, when asked if they wish to know by whom [the influx comes], this they decline, and declare themselves unwilling to know, because it is contrary to their delight. The subjects, themselves, do not believe otherwise than that they think and speak all things from themselves.