Spiritual Experiences (Odhner) n. 3320

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3320. It was shown also that every sense of the body has its own respiration, in fact its own place of respiration. For when voluntary breathing, which is active in a wakeful state to the extent of the wakefulness, ceases, then there is only spontaneous breathing. Therefore, just so much of this or that sense is wakeful or prevails when I am among spirits, as there is voluntary breathing, which is regulated by the Lord Alone, so that there is just so much and such a kind of voluntary breathing as contributes to the quantity and quality of that sense. This too it was granted me to understand by experience. Moreover, it was granted me earlier to have the same thoughts due to considerably much experience before I spoke with spirits, namely that the breathing interacted with the thinking, as when in childhood I tried to hold my breath on purpose while they were praying in the morning or evening, as well as when I tried to make the breathing intervals agree with those of the heart; also, that then the understanding almost began to vanish, so to speak. Then later, when I was writing in my imagination, I had observed myself holding my breath, as if it were tacit.


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