3495. How one spirit leads another to think and speak
While I was writing about freedom [cf. 128a-29a, A.C. 892], saying that that person is free who is led by the Lord, and that person is a slave who imagines he is led from himself, a spirit applied himself to my left side, thinking he was free because he was speaking on his own. But I was inspired to tell him that it was not from himself but from others, and in fact from the kind who would kill him if they could. I asked him whether it would not be better if he were led by the Lord, Who gives all that is good, or wills well to all?
When he still thought he was in control and spoke on his own, he was then shown what spirits were leading him, or were speaking through him - who then spoke up. After that other spirits spoke who were leading the latter ones, and so they went on in succession, 5, 6, or 7, who admitted they were speaking through the next ones, one after another, who thought they were speaking from themselves. It was observed that they were performing a kind of circular spire, and that the inflowing streams of the Lord's life were in the form of a perpetual spiral, as it were - a form known to no one but the Lord. 1748, 6 Oct.
3495. HOW ONE SPIRIT LEADS ANOTHER TO THINK AND SPEAK.
When writing concerning freedom, and saying that he who is led by the Lord is free, and he a slave who, in his own opinion, is led by himself a spirit applied himself to my left side, thinking that he was free because he spoke from himself. But it was given to say to him, that he was not [led] by himself but by others, and by those too of such a character, that they would kill him if they could; and I asked him if it were not better that he should be led by the Lord, who gives every good, or wills well to all? When he still persisted in thinking that he was ruled by himself and spoke from himself, it was shown him by what spirits he was led, and what ones spoke through him, and that when these spoke others spoke in them and led them, and so on successively to the number of five, six, or seven, who confessed that they spoke through them one from another, while they supposed that they were speaking from themselves. It was observed that they formed a certain circular spire, and that thus the influx of the Lord's life flowed in through a kind of perpetual-spiral form. But this form no one can know but the Lord.
3495. Quomodo unus spiritus alterum ducat, ut cogitet et loquatur
Cum de libertate scriberetur [cf. [128a-29a], A.C. [892], quod is liber esset, qui a Domino ducitur, et is servus qui putat ex se, spiritus adplicuit se lateri meo sinistro, putans quod is liber esset, quia a semet loqueretur, sed ei dicere datum, quod non a semet sed ab aliis, et quidem quod a talibus, qui eum necare vellent si possent, et sic annon melius quod duceretur a Domino, Qui omne bonum dat, seu omnibus bene vult; cum adhuc putaret a se regi et loqui, tunc ostensum quinam spiritus eum ducerent, seu per eum loquerentur, qui loquuti, postea alii loquuti qui hos ducerent, et sic porro successive 5, 6, vel 7, qui fassi quod loquerentur per eos successive, qui putabant ex se loqui, observatum quod ii quandam circularem spiram agerent, et sic quod influxus vitae Domini per formam quasi perpetue spiralem influerent: et quae forma nemo scire potest praeter Dominum. 1748, 6 Oct.