things they say, the reason being that no thought can be withdrawn
from them. This was also shown them by actual experience. I was
thinking of the fact that the evil spirits of our Earth are not
affected with shame when they infest others. This [thought] inflowed
with me from some angelic spirits who perceived their speech. Those
spirits of Mars then acknowledged that this was the subject they were
speaking of among themselves, and they were astonished. Besides this,
more things, both of their conversation and thought, were disclosed by
an angelic spirit, notwithstanding all their endeavours to hide 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.