651. About the sight of spirits
There are four kinds of sight that have been made known to me. The first is a sight of sleep, just as real as daytime sight; so I said while actually asleep that if this was sleep, then wakefulness must also be sleep.
The second kind is vision with the eyes closed, which is just as real as with the eyes opened, and by which similar objects are presented to view, even more beautiful and pleasant. The same kind can exist with the eyes open, and has occurred two or three times.
The third kind is in a state with the eyes open, when those things are portrayed which are in heaven, both spirits and other things. This kind causes symbolic vision, which has become very familiar to me; but it is rather obscure, differing entirely from the commonplace human imagination.
The fourth kind occurs when a person is separated from the body, and in the spirit, and then one cannot tell in the least but that one is in a waking state and is then in possession of all one's senses, such as touch, hearing and sight, and I do not doubt, of all the rest. It is more than the sight of a waking state, because it is an exquisite one, nor does one perceive that state as any different from wakefulness - unless one lapses into a waking state of the body.
651. CONCERNING THE SIGHT OF SPIRITS
There are four kinds of sight which have been shown me. The first is the sight during sleep, as vivid as that of day time, so that in the sleep itself I would say that if this were sleep, wakefulness would also be sleep. The second kind is vision with closed eyes, which is as vivid as when the eyes are open, and like objects, even more beautiful and lovely, are offered to the sight. There can be a similar vision when the eyes are open, and it has occurred to me on two or three occasions. The third kind is in a state when the eyes are open, and the things in heaven, both spirits and other things, are represented. This is a representative vision which has been made very familiar to me, 1only it is rather obscure. It differs entirely from the ordinary imagination of men. The fourth kind is that which exists when man is separated from the body and in the spirit, and the man then cannot at all know otherwise than that he is awake. He then also enjoys all his senses, as that of touch, hearing and sight, and I have no doubt the other senses as well. It is a fuller sight than that of wakefulness, because more exquisite; and in that state one does not apperceive otherwise than that he is awake, except from the fact that he relapses into the wakefulness of the body.
Footnotes:
1. Crossed out: "But it is a perceptive vision."
651. De visu spirituum
Sunt quatuor genera visus, quae mihi ostensa sunt primum est visus somni, tam vivus sicut diurnus, sic ut in ipso somno dixerim, quod si hoc esset somnus, etiam vigilia foret somnus, alterum genus est visio clausis oculis, quae tam viva est, sicut oculis apertis, et[qua] similia objecta, tum pulchriora et amaeniora offeruntur videnda; similis apertis oculis existere potest, et bis terve exstitit. Tertium genus est in aperti oculi statu, cum repraesentantur ea, quae in coelo sunt, tam 1
spiritus, quam alia, quo est visio repraesentativa, quae mihi familiarissima facta, sed obscurior est, differt prorsus a vulgari hominum imaginatione. Quartum genus, est dum homo separatus est a corpore, inque spiritu, ac homo tunc neutiquam aliud nosse potest, quam quod in vigilia sit, tunc etenim 2
omnibus sensibus fruitur, sicut tactus, auditus, et visus, de caeteris nec dubito, est visus plusquam vigiliae, quia exquisitus est, nec appercipitur 3
in eo statu aliud 4
, quam quod vigil sit, nisi per id quod in corporis vigiliam labatur.
Footnotes:
1. nisi legeris tum
2. in J.F.I. Tafel's edition etiam
3. The Manuscript has apercipitur
4. imperfectum in the Manuscript