5847. No man, spirit, or angel possesses any life that originates within himself. That being so, there is nothing he thinks or wills that can originate in himself; for a person's life consists in his thinking and willing, and his words and actions are the life that springs from them. There is only one life, the Lord's. It flows into everyone but is received in varying ways, its reception being determined by the character a person has given his soul through the life he leads. With people who are evil therefore, forms of good and truths are turned into evils and falsities; with those who are good, forms of good are accepted as forms of good and truths as truths. This may be compared to light flowing from the sun into different objects which modify and variegate the light in many ways, depending on the form their constituent parts take, and in this way the light is converted into colours that may be either dull or bright. While a person lives in the world he is providing an outward form for the most pure substances that constitute his interiors, so that one may speak of him bringing form to his own soul, that is, fashioning its character. This form determines how the Lord's life, flowing from His love towards the entire human race, is received. For more about these matters - that there is only one life, and that men, spirits, and angels are recipients of life - see 1954, 2021, 2706, 2886-2889, 2893, 3001, 3318, 3337, 3338, 3484, 3741-3743, 4151, 4249, 4318-4320, 4417, 4524, 4882.