5778. THE SPITE OF EVIL SPIRITS: ALSO INFLUX. HEAVEN AND HELL. The evil spirits who are with man seek by many methods how they may seduce him; and it has been given me to know from experience how this matter is circumstanced. Those who are near by, inflow variously with man, according to their situation in relation to his body. Those who are at the occiput, both those above and those beneath, chiefly inflow into the thought, and indeed into his interior thought; but those at the sides, or temples, both in front and above, inflow into the thought likewise, but into the sensual and external of it. It must also be known, that, when spirits speak to each other about a matter delightful to the man, or which favors his loves, the man is joyful, glad, and in a state of delight; likewise, that when they speak of such things as are adverse to his loves, he is in undelightfulness and sadness: hence comes melancholy. For instance, when they are with the avaricious and those who are fearful for the future, and speak to each other about the loss of wealth and of such things as relate to its loss, and about the state in the future, the man becomes anxious. These appeared about the stomach in the abdominal region. Anxiety is from this source. So with all other matters. With those who think much against the neighbor, from deceit and cunning, there are genii at the occiput; who, also, in an instant pervert all their thoughts of doing good to the neighbor and of God, especially of the Lord. With me, all these were observed; for I knew that I did not think from myself but from others, and, when wickedly, that it was from evil spirits, who, also, were then instantly detected. At one time, they devised this artifice: while associated with me they spoke about various things, and noted those which affected my mind and in what manner they did so; also what carried me away into indignation, what into this or that affection, or desire; and I observed that they could discover some, but not others. It was allowed me to speak with them as often as I wished, and to refute them and drive them away. When they were driven away, the thought was changed. It was permitted me to notice, that, when spirits and genii spoke to each other in their own tongue, I heard nothing of what they said, but only when they spoke with me; but that I perceived the influx only through an affection in myself, and thought therefrom. Those spirits and genii, however, operate in this manner only into the external man, but the Lord and heaven into the internal. I also observed, that heaven inflows into the internal in a similar way, and that as the angels speak to each other, so the man is affected. Angels do not speak anything else than those things which are of wisdom, faith and love, and of happiness therefrom: these interiorly affect the man who is in them. It is hence manifest, that, so far as the external man acts as one with the internal, so far the man can be led by the Lord; for through the internal, the infesting things and evils which are introduced by evil spirits are dispersed - removed as hell is by heaven: it is otherwise if the external and internal man are not conjoined. I also observed that it is inevitable that the internal man should be closed with those who are in evil or in the delight of evil, because nothing of joy and of delight can be received out of heaven, for there is not any reception: in fact, so far as the angels operate, so far is such a one sensible of sadness and distress; for [angels] operate such things as are contrary to the loves of self and of the world. Hence it was also evident to me how the Lord reduces the external man to subordination to the internal, so that they act as one, and that this takes place through the whole life of man: consequently, how the regeneration of man occurs, and that it happens in countless ways. It was also observed, that, so far as man acts from proprium, that is, without the living faith that all good is from the Lord, what is from the Lord is not able to flow in, nor anything be arranged into order in the external man. Proprium is that which is contrary to the Divine: it appears also as black, not receptible of anything out of heaven.