3474. What is proper to man, spirit and angel, an airing of the subject
While it was being written that what is man's, spirit's and angel's own is not anything but mere evil, then certain spirits, inward ones, interpolated, that they have what is their own that is not evil, namely, a mind, an innermost one, also a very inward one, for the innermost mind gives the very inward one the ability to be heavenly and spiritual.
Hitherto I had not understood the matter otherwise than that there is an innermost mind in the human being that does not exist in brute animals. Therefore they were maintaining that the innermost mind, and the very inward one, was their own, and [because those minds] are recipient of heavenly and spiritual qualities from the Lord, and give the ability to the human being's own mind, that they therefore possess qualities that are not evil, but good.
But I replied to them that the innermost mind and the very inward one are not theirs, but the Lord's, and that what is theirs is the earthly mind, which is utterly corrupt; so if a spirit or an angel were to be deprived of what is their own, which belongs to the earthly mind, both the inward 1and the lower one, then they would be deprived of all life and would have nothing of life left. This was also proven to a spirit by a trivial experience, who confessed that if he had been deprived of any more, he would be no one.
[2] But about one's own or earthly mind being obedient to the truly spiritual and heavenly mind, the case is this, that it is not erased so as to be none, and obsequious in this sense, for then one would feel nothing of one's self or one's own. But one's own things are arranged into a configuration comparable to the rainbow, in which configuration just as the colors draw their origins from black and white, the person's own things (namely, evils, to which black and white are compared) are arranged by the Lord, so that one may live from one's own life, so to speak. And the less there is of remains [of goodness and truth] the less life there is.
Therefore, to claim to oneself the very inward and the innermost mind, through which the Lord bestows the power to the earthly mind to be able to be what it is, is to claim to oneself what is not
Footnotes:
1. [The footnote referred to in the printed text does not exist.]
3474. OF THE PROPRIUM OF MAN, SPIRIT, AND ANGEL, AND A CLEARING UP OF TRUTH RESPECTING IT.
When engaged in writing and saying that the proprium of man, spirit, and angel was in itself nothing but pure evil, certain spirits of an interior quality insinuated that they had a proprium which was not evil, namely, an inward and still inmost mind; and that the inmost gave to the inward the power of becoming celestial and spiritual. I had never heretofore supposed any otherwise than that there was an inmost mind in man which does not exist in brute animals; but they insisted that these minds, the inward and inmost, are their proprium, and because they are receptive of celestial and spiritual things from the Lord, and give its faculty to the proper mind of man, that thus they had not evil, but good. But it was answered them that these inward and innermost minds were not their's but the Lord's; and that theirs was a natural mind, which was altogether perverted; and that if a spirit or angel were deprived of his proprium, which pertains to his natural mind, the interior [or higher], as well as the lower, he would be utterly deprived of life, which was also shown to the spirit by a slight experience, and he confessed that if the experiment should proceed farther he would become nothing. But that the propriate and natural mind may be obsequious to the truly spiritual and celestial mind, the matter is so ordered that it shall not be effaced and nullified, and thus made, as it were, obsequious, for in that case one would feel nothing of himself or of his own, but his propria are disposed into a form that may be compared to a rainbow, in which the colors derive their origin from black and white, answering to the propria of man, to wit, his evils; these are disposed by the Lord that the man may live, as it were, from his own life; and the less of remains there are, the less has he of life from his proprium. Therefore, for one to claim to himself an interior and inmost mind, by which the Lord gives power to the natural mind to become what it is, is to claim for himself what is not his proprium, for neither man, spirit, nor angel knows anything of these minds.
3474. De proprio hominis, spiritus et angeli, de quo ventilatum
Cum scriberetur, quod proprium hominis, spiritus et angeli, non sit nisi mere malum, tunc quidam spiritus, interiores, intulerunt, quod habeant proprium quod non malum, scilicet mentem, intimam, tum intimiorem, intima enim dat facultatem intimiori, ut possit coelestis et spiritualis esse, adhuc non aliter intellexi, quam quod intima mens esset in homine, quae non est in animalibus brutis; quare volebant quod intima mens, et intimior esset eorum propria, et quia recipientes sunt coelestium et spiritualium a Domino, et dant facultatem menti hominis propriae, quod sic habeant, quae non mala sunt, sed bona: sed responsum est iis, quod intima mens et intimior, non eorum sint, sed quod Domini, at quod eorum est, est mens naturalis; quae prorsus perversa est, quare si spiritus vel angelus privaretur suo proprio, quod est mentis naturalis tam interioris quam inferioris, tunc privaretur omni vita, sic ut nihil vitae residuum haberet, quod etiam ostensum est spiritui per experientiam levem, qui fassus, quod si pluri privaretur, quod nullus esset; at quod mens propria seu naturalis obsequiosa sit menti vere spirituali et coelesti, res ita se habet, quod non deleatur, ut nulla sit, et sic obsequiosa, tunc enim nihil sentiret de se seu de suo, sed disponuntur ejus propria in formam, quae comparatur iridi, in qua sicut colores trahunt origines a nigro et albo, quae sunt propria hominis, nempe mala, quibus nigrum et album comparantur, haec disponuntur a Domino, ut sic ex suamet quasi vita vivat, et quo minus reliquiarum est, eo minus vitae ex proprio; quare vindicare sibi intimiorem mentem, ac intimam, per quam Dominus indit facultatem menti naturali, ut talis esse possit, est sibi vindicare, quod pro-