4195. 1About auras, about instinct, and about the arousing thereby of mental imagery with a person on earth
Every spirit, and even more every society of spirits, exhales its own aura coming from their principles, or the life of their principles and convictions, as do evil demons from their life of passions. Thence comes their aura, which is an aura as it were of instincts. When this aura exists, something general is operating, and when it works into the memory of a person on earth, it arouses whatever is in agreement with it, so that that general thing with the spirits arouses all particulars that agree, and from it the spirits speak, imagining that they are speaking from themselves, and they convince persons on earth that it comes from them.
When this kind of an aura is ruling, then all the particulars that are aroused, even if they are completely false, appear as truths, and confirm. Confirmations flow in abundance, and with such variety that I wondered where they could have found them out, since there is otherwise nothing but their general aura arousing them. For spirits since they are lacking a memory have a certain kind of instinct that is active, as has been told before. 1749, 2 April.
Footnotes:
1. This and the next article are marginally emphasized by a vertical wavy line.
4195. CONCERNING SPHERES, INSTINCT, AND THE EXCITATION OF IDEAS WITH MAN.
Every spirit, and still more every society of spirits, exhales a sphere from itself which is from its principles or the life of principles or persuasions; with the evil genii from the life of cupidities. Thence flows their sphere, which is a sphere, as it were, of instincts, arising from this source, and when this sphere exists, it is a certain operative general principle [commune], which, when it acts upon a man's memory, summons up thence whatever is in agreement with it, and thus the general principle of spirits excites all the concordant particulars from the man's memory; thence spirits speak, and think that it is from themselves, and they also persuade man that what he says is from himself. Where such a sphere predominates, there everything which is excited, though in fact most false, appears as true, and is confirmed. The confirming things which flow forth are very numerous, and of such variety that I have wondered whence they could have procured them, as it were, extempore, when yet it is nothing else than this general sphere which excites them; for spirits as they lack memory, are possessed of a certain instinctive something which acts in the manner described. - 1749, April 2.
4195. De sphaeris, instinctu, et inde excitatione idearum apud hominem
Unusquisque spiritus, et magis unaquaevis societas spirituum suam sphaeram exhalat, quae ex principiis ejus, seu vita principiorum aut persuasionum, genii mali ex vita cupiditatum; inde sphaera eorum, quae est sphaera quasi instinctuum inde, quae sphaera cum est, est commune quoddam operans, cumque agit in hominis memoriam, inde excitat quicquid concordat, ab hominis memoria, ita commune spirituum omnia particularia concordantia excitat, inde loquuntur spiritus, et putant a se, et persuadent homini quod ab eo; cum talis sphaera regnat, tunc omnia quae excitantur, etiamsi falsissima, apparent ut vera, et confirmant; quae effluunt ut confirmantia, sunt perplura, et tam varia, ut miratus sim, unde quasi tunc invenerint, cum tamen nihil aliud est quam sphaera eorum communis, quae excitat; nam spiritibus quia carent memoria, est quoddam quasi instinctus, quod agit, sicut dictum. 1749, 2 April.