138 PARACELSUS 



in the imagination of man create corresponding images 

 in the mirror of Nature." 



" Imagination is like the sun. The sun has a light 

 which is not tangible, but which, nevertheless, can set a 

 house on fire; thus the imagination is like a sun in man 

 acting in that place to which its light is directed." 



" Man is mind ; he is what he thinks. If he thinks 

 fire, he is on fire ; if he thinks war, then will he cause 

 war ; it all depends merely on that the whole of his 

 imagination becomes an entire sun ; i.e., that he wholly 

 imagines that which he wills " {Be Virtute Imaginativa). 



" The sun acts upon the visible soil of the earth, and 

 upon invisible matter in the air ; imagination acts upon 

 the invisible substance of the soul, but the visible earth 

 is formed from the invisible elements of the earth, and 

 man's physical body is formed of his invisible astral 

 soul. The soul of man is as intimately related to the 

 soul of the earth as the physical body of the man is 

 related to the physical body of the man, and they con- 

 tinually act upon each other, and without the soul the 

 vehicle could not exist. Visible matter becomes in- 

 visible, and is acted on by the soul, and invisible matter 

 becomes organised and is made visible again through 

 the influence of the soul. If a pregnant woman ima- 

 gines something strongly, the effects of her imagination 

 will become manifest in the child.^ Imagination springs 

 from desire, and as man may have good or evil desires, 

 likewise he may have a good or an evil imagination. 

 A strong desire of either kind will give rise to a 

 strong imagination. Curses as well as blessings will 

 be effective if they come from the heart " {De Virtute 

 Imaginativa).^ 



^ For this reason pregnant women should during the time of their 

 pregnancy have beautiful surroundings and think noble and beautiful 

 thoughts. 



2 If we do not think that which we speak, our words will be empty 

 talk. He who thinks many things disperses his power in many directions ; 

 he who thinks and wills only one thing is powerful. 



