4243. There are societies that live amicably among themselves, so that they may be called societies of friendship. They do not love other angelic spirits so much, so there is not a love toward others greater than toward their companions. When they came above me, as soon as I began reading something from portions written in Genesis, then all the delight and resulting life was taken from me, so that what was left to me was hardly living, but a sad, as it were inanimate state, enabling also spirits not good, as well as evil ones, to distort many passages there, so to speak, leaving me not only with no delight, but also something ugly, so that they displeased me as being of no account and incoherent, and I almost conceived a disgust for them.
When I noticed this, and clearly, that all delight was being stolen away as I read, it was granted me to speak with those angelic spirits, to whom I related those circumstances. They said that it was not pleasing to them that this happens to me, saying that they were unaware that I am there, thus what is taking place with man, but that as soon as they notice something delightful, they seize it, and are joyful among themselves. They offered their excuses. They were good, but through speaking with them I was informed that they were societies of friendship, quite sincere among themselves, but did not love others more than themselves, like angels.
4243. There are societies that live amicably among themselves, so that they may be called societies of friendship. They do not love other angelic spirits in like manner, wherefore there is not among them a love towards others greater than that which they bear to their companions. When these came above me, as soon as I began to read something of what is contained in the book of Genesis, all delight and the life thence was taken from me, and what was left had scarce any vitality, but was, as it were, a mere cheerless inanimate something, from which I inferred that the spirits were not good, and that having found an occasion of evil they had, as it were, deformed a multitude of things that occurred in my reading, and left them not only void of delight, but sadly marred, so that it displeased me as something of no moment and of no coherency, causing me almost to conceive disgust towards it. When I perceived and felt sensibly that all delight was stolen from what I was reading, it was given to speak with those angelic spirits, and I related to them the circumstance, and how the matter stood, and they replied that it was no pleasure to them that I was thus affected, that they did not know me in the matter, nor what transpires with man, but as soon as they perceive anything delightful they seize upon it and rejoice among themselves. Being good spirits, I admitted their excuse, but I was informed that they were societies of friendship acting with due sincerity towards each other, but that they did not, like the angels, love others above themselves.
4243. Sunt societates, qui inter se amice vivunt, sic ut dici queant societates amicitiae, alios spiritus angelicos non ita amant, quare non est amor erga alios plus quam erga socios, illi cum venerunt supra me, ut primum aliquid legerem in illis quae scripta sunt in Genesi, tunc omnis jucunditas et vita inde mihi auferebatur, sic ut quod mihi relictum, vix erat vitale, sed triste quasi inanimatum, inde etiam spiritus non boni, ut et mali occasionem nacti plura ibi quasi deformabant, sic ut non solum jucundum nullum esset mihi, sed etiam deforme, ut displicerent prorsus sicut nihil momenti, nec [esset] cohaerens, ut paene contra illa fastidium ceperim; hoc cum appercepi, et manifeste quod omnis jucunditas surriperetur cum legerem, dabatur cum spiritibus angelicis illis loqui, quibus illa narravi, et quomodo se haberet, qui dicebant mihi, quod hoc iis non esset volupe quod ita apud me fiat, dicebant se nescire quod sim, ita quid apud hominem fit, sed ut primum jucundum quid appercipiunt, arripiant, et laetentur inter se; excusabant, erant boni, sed per loquelam cum iis, informatus sum, quod essent societates amicitiae satis sincerae inter se, sed non amarent alios prae se, sicut angeli.