on a semblance of good seemingly from spiritual love and faith.  When such are let into their internals and thus into their evils they are no longer able to speak what is true, but only what is false; since they speak from evils; for to speak what is true from evils is then impossible, since the spirit is nothing but his own evil, and from evil what is false goes forth.  Every evil spirit is reduced to this state before he is cast into hell (see above, n. 499-512).  This is called being vastated in respect to truths and goods.{1} Vastation is simply being let into one’s internals, that is, into what is the spirit’s own, or into the spirit itself (see above, n. 425).

{Footnote 1} Before the evil are cast down into hell they are devastated of truths and goods, and when these have been taken away they are of themselves carried into hell (n. 6977, 7039, 7795, 8210, 8232, 9330).  The Lord does not devastate them, but they devastate themselves (n. 7643, 7926).  Every evil has in it what is false; therefore those who are in evil are also in falsity, although some do not know it (n. 7577, 8094).  Those who are in evil must needs think what is false when they think from themselves (n. 7437).  All who are in hell speak falsities from hell (n. 1695, 7351, 7352, 7357, 7392, 7689).

552.  When man after death comes into this state he is no longer a man-spirit, as he was in his first state (of which above, n. 491-498), but is truly a spirit; for he is truly a spirit who has a face and body that correspond to his internals which pertain to his mind, that is, has an external form that is a type or effigy of his internals.  A spirit is such after he has passed through the first and second states spoken of above; consequently when he is looked upon his character is at once known, not only from his face and from his body, but also from his speech and movements; and as he is then in himself he can be nowhere else than where his like are. [2] For in the spiritual world there is a complete sharing of affections and their thoughts, and in consequence a spirit is conveyed to his like as if of himself, since it is done from his affection and its delight.  In fact, he turns himself in that direction; for thus he inhales his own life or draws his breath freely, which he cannot do when he turns another way.  It must be understood that this sharing with others in the spiritual world is effected in accordance with the turning of the face, and that each one has constantly before his face those who are in a love like his own, and this in every turning of the body (see above, n. 151) [3] In consequence of this all infernal spirits turn themselves away from the Lord toward the densely dark body and the dark body that are there in place of the sun and moon of this world, while all the angels of heaven turn themselves to the Lord as the sun of heaven and as the moon of heaven (see above, n. 123, 143, 144, 151).  From all this it is clear that all who are in the hells are in evils and in falsities therefrom; also that they are turned to their own loves.