196 ON THE DIVINE INTUITION
whereby the inward power imprints itself in the
external spirit.
20. We understand indeed in such powers of
growing things three kinds of spiritus in different
centra, but in one corpus. The first and external
spiritus is the coarse sulphur, salt and mercury,
which is a substance of four elements, or of ihe
stars according to the property of their roughness.
It makes the corpus, and impresses itself or com-
pacts itself into a substance, or draws that whiph
is internal out of the spiritual separator into
itself, as also the elements from without, and
coagulates itself therewith; whence immediately
the signature or sign is effected by the separator.
It forms the visible corpus according to the
property of the greatest power of the spiritus
mundi, viz. according to the constellation of the
stars or property of the planets and now enkindled
elements.
21. The second spiritus, which has a centrum
of its own, is found in the oil of sulphur, which is
called the fifth essence, viz. a root of the four
elements. This spiritus is the softening and joy
of the coarse, painful spirit of sulphur and salt;
and receives its nourishment, firstly, from within,
from the light of Nature, from the efflux of spiritual
gentleness, from the inward spiritual fire and
light. And, secondly, it receives its nourishment
from without, from the sun and from the subtle
power of the spiritus mundi, and is the true
cause of growing life, a joy of Nature, as is the
sun in the elements.
22. The third spiritus is the tincture, a counter-