DP 318 - How A Person's State Is Changes; DP 319 - Spiraling

DP 318

But we must now say how a person's state is changed
by affirmations and consequent persuasions,
and this under the following series of headings:

1. There is nothing that cannot be defended,
and falsity more easily than truth.

2. Truth is not seen by confirmed falsity,
but confirmed truth causes falsity to be seen.

3. To be able to affirm whatever one pleases
does not constitute intelligence, but only ingenuity,
possible even in the worst of people.

4. It is possible to have an intellectual affirmation
that is not at the same time an affirmation of the will,
but every affirmation of the will is also an intellectual one.

5. An affirmation of evil by the will
that is at the same time an intellectual one
causes a person to believe
that his own prudence is everything
and Divine providence nothing,
but an intellectual affirmation alone does not.

6. Everything affirmed by the will and intellect together
remains to eternity,
but not something affirmed only by the intellect.

DP 319 [3-4]

We will now describe
the nature of these purely organic forms and substances
in evil people and in good people.
In good people they spiral forward,
but in evil people backward.
Moreover, those which spiral forward
are turned to the Lord and receive influx from Him,
while those which spiral backward
are turned toward hell and receive influx from there.

It should be known
that in the measure they are turned backward
they are open behind and closed in front,
and conversely,
that in the measure they are turned forward
they are open in front and closed behind.

It can be seen from this
the kind of form or instrument an evil person is,
and the kind of form or instrument a good person is,
namely that they are turned in opposite directions.
And because, once induced,
the turning cannot be reversed,
it is apparent that what a person is like when he dies,
so he remains to eternity.

The love belonging to a person's will
is what causes this turning,
or what turns him this way or that,
for as we said above,
every person is an expression of his love.
For this reason
everyone goes the way of his love after death,
to heaven if he has been directed by a good love,
and to hell if he has been directed by an evil love.
Nor does he find rest
except in the society where his is the reigning love.
And what is surprising,
everyone knows the way.
It is as though his nostrils smelled it.