hat flows in from
the Lord is turned into evil and the truth into falsity; from
experience (n. 3642, 4632). The good and the truth therefrom
that continually flow in from the Lord are received just to the
extent that evil and falsity therefrom do not obstruct (n.
2411, 3142, 3147, 5828).

298. The spirits who are with man, both those conjoined with heaven
and those conjoined with hell, never flow into man from their own
memory and its thought, for if they should flow in from their own
thought, whatever belonged to them would seem to man to be his (see
above n. 256). Nevertheless there flows into man through them out of
heaven an affection belonging to the love of good and truth, and out
of hell an affection belonging to the love of evil and falsity.
Therefore as far as man's affection agrees with the affection that
flows in, so far that affection is received by him in his thought,
since man's interior thought is wholly in accord with his affection
or love; but so far as man's affection does not agree with that
affection it is not received. Evidently, then, since thought is not
introduced into man through spirits, but only an affection for good
and an affection for evil, man has choice, because he has freedom;
and is thus able by his thought to receive good and reject evil,
since he knows from the Word what is good and what is evil. Moreover,
whatever he receives by thought from affection is appropriated to
him; but whatever he does not receive by thought from affection is
not appropriated to him. All this makes evident the nature of the
influx of good out of heaven with man, and the nature of the influx
of evil out of hell.

299. I have also been permitted to learn the source of human anxiety,
grief of mind, and interior sadness, which is called melancholy.
There are spirits not as yet in conjunction with hell, because they
are in their first state; these will be described hereafter when
treating of the world of spirits. Such spirits love things undigested
and pernicious, such as pertain to food becoming foul in the stomach;
consequently they are present with man in such things because they
find delight in them; and they talk there with one another from their
own evil affection. The affection that is in their speech flows in
from this source into man; and when this affection is the opposite of
man's affection there arises in him sadness and melancholy anxiety;
but when it agrees with it it becomes in hi