can think from himself
but does so from the Lord, while all the spirits of hell say that no one
can think from any other than himself. These spirits have been shown many
times that no one of them thinks or can think from himself, but that
thought flows in; it was in vain, however; they would not accept the
idea. But experience will teach, first, that everything of thought and
affection even with spirits of hell flows in from heaven, but that the
inflowing good is turned into evil there and truth into falsity, thus
everything into its opposite. This was shown in this way: a truth from
the Word was sent down from heaven, was received by those uppermost in
hell, and by them sent to lower hells, and on to the lowest. On the way
it was turned by stages into falsity and finally into falsity the direct
opposite of the truth. Those with whom it was so changed thought the
falsity of themselves seemingly and knew no otherwise; still it was
truth, flowing down from heaven on the way to the lowest hell, which was
thus falsified and perverted. I have heard of this several times. The
same thing occurs with good; as it flows down from heaven, it is changed
step by step into the evil opposite to it. Hence it was plain that truth
and good, proceeding from the Lord and received by those who are in
falsity and evil, are completely altered and so transformed that their
first form is lost. The like happens in every evil person, for as to his
spirit he is in hell.

289. I have often been shown that no one in hell thinks from himself but
through others around him, and these do not, but through others still.
Thoughts and affections make their way from one society to another, but
no one is aware that they do not originate with himself. Some who
believed that they thought and willed of themselves were dispatched to
another society and held there, and communication was cut off with the
societies around to which their thoughts usually extended. Then they were
told to think differently from the spirits of this society, and compel
themselves to think to the contrary; they confessed that they could not.

[2] This was done with a number and with Leibnitz, too, who was also
convinced that no one thinks from himself, but from others, nor do these
think from themselves, but all think by an influx from heaven, and heaven
by an influx from the Lord. Some, pondering this, said that it was
amazing, and that hardly anyone can be led to credit it, for it is