AE 1182 - speaking with spirits

AE 1182 [4,5]
Something shall now be said about the speech of spirits with people.
Many believe that a person can be taught by the Lord
by means of spirits speaking with him;
but those who believe this and are willing to believe it
do not know that it is attended with danger to their souls.
So long as a person is living in the world,
as to his spirit he is in the midst of spirits,
although spirits do not know that they are with a person,
nor does a person know that he is with spirits;
and for the reason that as to the affections of the will
they are immediately conjoined,
while as to the thoughts of the understanding
they are mediately conjoined.
For a person thinks naturally,
but spirits think spiritually;
and natural and spiritual thought make one only by correspondences;
and in a oneness by correspondences
neither one of the two knows anything about the other.
But as soon as spirits begin to speak with a person
they come out of their spiritual state into the person's natural state,
and they then know that they are with a person
and they conjoin themselves with the thoughts of his affection
and speak with him from those thoughts.
They can enter into no other state of a person,
for all conjunction is by like affection and thought therefrom,
while unlike separates.
For this reason the speaking spirit
must be in the same principles as the person is,
whether they be true or false;
and these he stirs up,
and through his affection conjoined to a person's affection
he strongly confirms them.

All spirits that speak with a person were once people in the world,
and were then of like character.
. . . And what is absurd,
when a man believes that the Holy Spirit is speaking with him
or operating upon him
the spirit also believes himself to be the Holy Spirit.
This is common with enthusiastic spirits.
All this shows the danger in which a person is who speaks with spirits,
or who manifestly perceives their operation.
A person does not know what the quality of his affection is,
whether it be good or evil,
or with what others it is conjoined;
and if he is in the pride of self-intelligence
the spirit within him favors every thought from that source . . ..
Whenever a spirit from like affection
favors a person's thoughts or principles,
one leads the other as the blind lead the blind until both fall into the pit.