Spiritual Experiences (Buss) n. 3627

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3627. There are spirits of such a quality - which is remarkable - that while a man thinks himself in another city, and to be walking there, while he deems himself to be out of himself, and his image is thus represented; while he thinks, or, as it were, dreams of a fact of this kind, then the spirits, who are still more without reflection, think the fact to be altogether so and that they are in the city; yea, they have closely followed my image, not knowing but that it was I myself. Thus too in other things which in like manner enter a man's thoughts, they, from being but little in reflection, imbibe the phantasy that things are really so [as one imagines], as in the case of the insane man of Helm, who is like a spirit when in phantasy, thinking himself to be a son-in-law of the king; for spirits do not know otherwise than that he is, being of themselves to such a degree insane; but so far as reflection is given them, they may be restrained from their insanity; but not so with man; he can think such things, but still he knows the fact not to be so, as, for instance, [he knows] that he is not walking in another city; and so of many other things.


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