3627. For there are spirits of such a kind - which is remarkable - that when a person thinks himself to be in a different city, to be walking there, imagining himself to be outside of himself, and his image is portrayed outside of himself; when he is thinking in those terms, or daydreaming, so to speak, then the spirits, because even more without reflection than the person, imagine it is entirely so, that they are in that city, on its streets. Indeed, they followed and accompanied my image, not knowing differently but that it was I. Likewise in other cases, when a person is thinking things are such or so, then being in a less reflective state they fantasize that it is really so.
I have spoken several times with spirits about this phenomenon, as also when discussing that insane man in Stockholm, saying that he was like a spirit when fantasizing that he was the king's son-in-law. For spirits know no otherwise but that it is a fact, and are by themselves insane; but insofar as it is granted them to reflect, so far they can be led back from insanity. But a person on earth is not like this, for he can think such things, but still knows they are not so, that he is not walking in a different city, besides many other such instances.
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.
3627. Spiritus enim tales sunt, quod memorabile, quod, dum homo cogitat se esse in alia urbe, ibi ambulare, cum putat se esse extra se, et repraesentatur imago extra se, dum aliquid tale cogitat, vel quasi somniat, tunc spiritus, quia magis absque reflexione, putant prorsus ita esse, se esse in urbe, in plateis, imo imaginem meam sequuti et prosequuti sunt, non aliter scientes, quam quod ego essem: similiter in aliis, quae homo ita cogitat, tunc quia minus in reflexione sunt, ii in phantasia quod realiter ita, de quo aliquoties cum spiritibus loquutus, sicut etiam cum de insano isto Holmiae, quod is esset sicut spiritus quando in phantasia, quod gener regis, nam spiritus non aliter sciunt, quam quod sit, ita per se insani, sed quantum iis datur reflexio, tantum reduci possunt ab insania, at homo non talis, is cogitare talia potest, sed usque novit, quod non ita, sicut quod non ambulet in alia urbe; praeter plura alia.