away
their thoughts from him. Afterwards those spirits inflowed from above
into my face. The influx was felt like fine striated rain, which was
a sign that they were not in the affection of truth and of good, for
this is represented by what is striated. They then spoke plainly with
me, saying, that the inhabitants of their earth speak in the same
way among themselves. They were then told that this is evil, as by
so doing they block up the internals, and recede from them to the
externals, which also they deprive of their life; and especially
because it is not sincere to speak in this manner. For they who
are sincere do not wish to speak or even to think anything but what
others, yea, what all, even the whole heaven, might know. But those
who are unwilling that others should know what they say, pass judgment
on others, and think ill of others and well of themselves, and at
length are led by habit so far as to think and speak ill of the
church, and of heaven, yea, of the Lord Himself. I have been told that
those who love knowledges, and not so much a life according to them,
have relation, in the Grand Man, to the inner membrane of the skull;
but that those who accustom themselves to speak without affection, and
to draw the thought to themselves and withdraw it from others, have
relation to that membrane, when it has become ossified, because, from
having some spiritual life, they come at length to have none.

[Footnote ll: Communications are effected by means of spirits sent
forth from societies of spirits and angels to other societies, and
these emissary spirits are called Subjects, nos. 4403, 5856, 5983,
5985-5989.]

96. As the bird of stone represented those also who are in knowledges
alone, and in no life of love, and as these consequently have no
spiritual life, therefore, by way of appendix, I may here show that
those only have spiritual life who are in heavenly love, and thence
in knowledges; and that a love contains in itself all the power of
knowing (_cognitinum_) which belongs to that love. Take for example
the animals of the earth, and also the living creatures of the heaven,
that is, the birds. These have the knowledge (_scientia_) of all
things that belong to their love. Their loves are, to nourish
themselves, to dwell safely, to propagate their kind, to take care
of their young, and, with some, to provide for the winter. They have,
therefore, all the requisite knowledge, for this is inherent in those
loves