3019. Certain spirits greatly desire to be people on earth

All spirits in general when they are with a person do not know but that they are people on earth. But there are others who want to be the person and entirely occupy his or her body, and then regard the person they are with as having no body.

Such ones have often been with me and attempted much, some less, who were nevertheless touched with shame, for they imagine they see their faces in the mirror [2106, 2205], among other things. In this way spirits are moved away from that desire. 1748, 1 Sept.

2106. Spirits could recognize themselves from my face in the mirror

It has happened a number of times when I was looking at my face in the mirror - something made me do so-that [I perceived] the thoughts of the spirits with me, who were looking at the same time through my eyes. They were thinking nothing else, however, but that they were in a body in the world, believing they must have the same faces they had had in bodily life. Then also, the facial expression being changed somewhat, as far as was possible, into the expression on their own face, they recognized themselves, one after the other. Several became indignant; others thereby realized that they were in the other life-also, by seeing themselves in the mirror, what kind of attitudes they had. Each time, I spoke with them about their attitudes, and they admitted to them. 1748, 28 May.