4202. CONCERNING SPHERES. The quality of the spheres of spirits as arising from dissent, from consent, and from opposite persuasions, is clearly to be perceived. There flows in a general dissenting, consenting, or persuading principle, and all particulars then present themselves as confirmations, so that it cannot be known but that the truth is what it appears to be. The stronger such a dissenting sphere is, the stronger is the persuasion, so that oftimes I could not otherwise perceive than that the false was the true, and the evil the good. Such a power of persuading is a common or general sphere, and it is such in all the particulars which thus become confirmatory, for the general is in the singulars, or in other words, the singulars derive their nature from the general, with which it is identical. When such spheres were shown me by colors, they appeared gross as if confasciated or interwoven together like the rafters in a roof. In point of color, they were for the most part of dim asure, afterwards verging to yellowish, - from which it appears how great is the density of such a sphere, that has first to be dissipated - and round about something luminously yellow, signifying the sphere of goodness and truth, which, however, is not able to penetrate the sphere of persuasions. From such swathings or roofings the quantity so to speak, of the sphere may be noted, and how accordingly falsity is diminished in proportion as they are diminished and vanish away. - 1749, April 9.