4398. About a wakeful sleep
That spirits do not have a memory of personal matters
I was in a so-called wakeful sleep, the sleep being such that it does not appear otherwise than that I am awake, pondering and inquiring then whether it was a state of sleep or of wakefulness, and concluding that it was wakefulness. This is a dream when it is with spirits. Then it was granted me to observe what the states of spirits were like, namely, that they do not have a memory of personal matters, and that they can now extract nothing from it, but from some conviction that flows in. I also arrived at some conclusions in the same way, when yet I could extract nothing from a memory of personal matters. So there was no reflection from personal matters. I had been in this kind of dream on several previous occasions.
4398. CONCERNING A WAKING SLEEP; THAT SPIRITS HAVE NOT THE MEMORY OF PARTICULARS.
I have been in what may be called a waking sleep; it is a sleep of such a nature that to those who are in it it does not appear otherwise than that they are in a waking state. I was then thinking and inquiring whether it was sleep or wakefulness, and concluded that it was the latter. Sleep is of this kind when enjoyed by spirits. It was then given me to observe of what nature the state of spirits is, namely, that they have no memory of particulars, and that they then conclude nothing from that, but from some persuasion which flows in. I myself also concluded concerning certain things then in like manner, when nevertheless I could conclude nothing from the memory of particulars, so that there was no reflection from particulars. I had been in such sleep several times before.
4398. De somno vigili, quod spiritibus non memoria particularium
Fui in somno ita dicto vigili, somnus talis est, ut non aliter appareat, ac quod sim in vigilia, cogitans et inquirens tunc num somnus vel vigilia, et concludens quod vigilia; tale somnium est, cum apud spiritus: tunc observare datum spirituum status quales, nempe quod iis non memoria particularium, quodque nihil tunc concludant ex illa, sed ex persuasione quae influit, conclusi etiam de aliquibus similiter tunc, cum tamen nihil concludere possem ex memoria particularium, sic ut nulla reflexio esset ex particularibus, in tali somnio fueram aliquibus vicibus prius.