{Footnote 1} Spirits sent from one society of spirits to other societies are called subjects (n. 4403, 5856).  Communications in the spiritual world are effected by such emissary spirits (n. 4403, 5856, 5983).  A spirit when he is sent forth, and serves as a subject thinks from those by whom he is sent forth and not from himself (n. 5985-5987).

256.  An angel or spirit is not permitted to speak with a man from his own memory, but only from the man’s memory; for angels and spirits have a memory as well as man.  If a spirit were to speak from his own memory with a man the man would not know otherwise than that the thoughts then in his mind were his own, although they were the spirit’s thoughts.  This would be like the recollection of something which the man had never heard or seen.  That this is so has been given me to know from experience.  This is the source of the belief held by some of the ancients that after some thousands of years they were to return into their former life, and into everything they had done, and in fact, had returned.  This they concluded because at times there came to them a sort of recollection of things that they had never seen or heard.  This came from an influx from the memory of spirits into their ideas of thought.

257.  There are also spirits called natural and corporeal spirits.  When these come to a man they do not conjoin themselves with his thought, like other spirits, but enter into his body, and occupy all his senses, and speak through his mouth, and act through his members, believing at the time that all things of the man are theirs.  These are the spirits that obsess man.  But such spirits have been cast into hell by the Lord, and thus wholly removed; and in consequence such obsessions are not possible at the present time.{1}

{Footnote 1} External or bodily obsessions are not permitted at the present time, as they were formerly (n. 1983).  But at present internal obsessions, which pertain to the mind, are permitted more than formerly (n. 1983, 4793).  Man is inwardly obsessed when he has filthy and scandalous thoughts about God and the neighbor, and is withheld from making them known only by external consideration, which are fear of the loss of reputation, honor, gain and fear of the law and of loss of life (n. 5990).  Of the devilish spirits who chiefly obsess the interiors of man (n. 4793).  Of the devilish spirits who long to obsess the exteriors of man; that such are shut up in hell (n. 2752, 5990).

258.  XXIX.  Writings in heaven.

As the angels have speech, and their speech consists of words, they also have writings; and by writing as well as by speech they give expression to what is in their minds.  At times I have had papers sent to me, traced with written words precisely like manuscripts in the world, and others like printed sheets; and I was able to read them in a like way, but was allowed to get from them only an idea here and there; for the reason that it is not in accordance with Divine order for man to be taught by writings from heaven; but he must be taught by means of the Word only; for it is only by means of the Word that there is communication and conjunction of heaven with the world, thus of the Lord with man.  That papers written in heaven were seen also by the prophets is shown in Ezekiel: