3213. About the rainbow heaven
I was inspired to think about the vitreous humor of the eye, where there is a translucent substance compounded from lesser forms in the interior chamber of the eye, and then certain spirits at the right side rather high up, where I recall no one having appeared before, said that they saw a heaven than which there is nothing more beautiful, namely, a pearly, and crystal, and diamond-like realm, as if the whole realm consisted of these brilliances, and the whole aura radiant with them in the tiniest forms like most beautiful rainbows. Then encircling them round about was the form of a very large rainbow, extremely beautiful. Now that same rainbow made up of those tiniest ones, so to speak, or from which the tiniest ones were born as most beautiful images, is the heaven of the rainbow, or rainbow heaven, with which the vitreous humor of the eye interacts. 1748, 20 Sept.
3213. CONCERNING THE RAINBOW HEAVEN.
(It was granted to think concerning the vitreous humour of the eye, where is a pellucid substance, compounded from lesser forms, in the interior chamber of the eye: and then certain [spirits] to the right, on high, where I did not remember anyone had previously appeared, said that they saw a heaven than which was nothing fairer, to wit, a pearly, then a crystalline, then an adamantine aura: as if the universal aura consisted of such flashes of light [fulgurationibus]; then [they saw] an aura, full of the like: [this aura was] radiated in each least form, like most beautiful rainbows: then there was round about, the form of a very large rainbow, encircling [the sky] [and] most beautiful: then the same rainbow [was] as it were composed of those least [ones] or [was that] from which the leasts sprung [were originated], like most beautiful images. This is the heaven of the rainbow, or the rainbow [heaven] to which corresponds the vitreous humour of the eye. - 1748, September 20.)
3213. De coelo irideo 1
Dabatur cogitare de humore vitreo 2
oculi, ubi est substantia pellucida, ex minoribus formis conflata in interiore camera oculi, et tunc quidam ad dextram altius, ubi prius nullus apparuisse memini, se videre dicebant coelum quo pulchrius nihil, nempe auram margariticam, tum chrystallinam 3
, et tum diamantinam, sicut universa aura talibus fulgurationibus constaret; tum auram plenam similibus radiatam in singulis minimis formis sicut pulcherrimae irides, tum circum erat iridis maximae forma, circumcingens, pulcherrima, tum eadem iris ex minimis istis quasi conflata, seu ex qua nascebantur minimae, ut pulcherrimae imagines, hoc est coelum iridis, seu irideum, cui correspondet oculi humor vitreus. 1748, 20 Sept.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has Iridaeo
2. In the Manuscript aqueo deletum, cui vitreus substitutum
3. The Manuscript has chrystallinum