Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 4630

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4630. A certain spirit was once present, but was invisible over my head. I detected his presence from a stink that was like that of rotten teeth, and after that a stench like that coming from burnt horn or bone. Then a large crowd of spirits like this one came on the scene, rising up like a cloud from below, not far from my back; and because these too were invisible I presumed that they were particularly clever but nevertheless evil. I was told that where the spiritual sphere obtained they were not visible, but where the natural sphere did so they were visible. For people who are so naturally-minded that they give no thought to spiritual matters and do not believe in the existence of hell or of heaven, and yet are clever in their dealings, are like those spirits and are called 'the invisible natural ones'. But they are sometimes made known to others by their stink described above.


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