4270. THAT SPIRITS TAKE AWAY DELIGHTS; COMMUNICATION. I wondered when it was told me that spirits took away my delights. I had been in delights, as those of writing, but they were taken away, and I was left in undelight, and it was said that they were spirits above in front who had taken away those delights, and yet that they were not aware of having done it. It was said and shown that they were such as preferred themselves to others; they wished well only to their associates, with whom they would communicate their delight. Those of this character, whenever they find any natural delight seize upon it and take it away; but celestial delight is beyond their reach. There is a kind of serene aura around one [in delight], and when others come into it, it is obscured to him from whom it proceeds, and is appropriated to those that come thither. It was afterwards shown me that this arises from various causes; those who are in hatreds draw the delights of another to themselves from the pleasure they have in depriving another of what is his. Those who are by nature such that they rejoice solely in the [pilfered] delight of another, are not tolerated with man. It was shown that the case was thus, and I wondered at it. But everyone appropriates the delight of another according to his nature, and those who do not do it according to their nature, but wish to put on the nature of another who has delight that they may themselves possess it, are cast out, for this is infamous. - 1749, May 14.