3466. Later I spoke with some of this type and was prompted to say that it is impossible for them to come into the realms of angels, for they would suffocate like a fish taken out of the water into the air. But these were some of a more subtle character, higher up toward the front, at a considerable altitude, who flow in subtly, and imperceptibly, being those who think such promiscuous adulteries of the married and unmarried to be not only lawful, but holy, spoken of earlier [3440, 2350-2356], and therefore put on an air of holiness.
With these I spoke, saying that it is as impossible for such foul adulterers to enter angelic auras as it is for a bird to live on coming into the ether. And I portrayed a bird in Antlia 1- but they considered it possible. So they were brought upward by means of a portrayal, thus from the air into the ether, and then it was seen (what had happened to the preacher), that his urinary bladder dilated upwards, and occupied the whole person - whether it occupied the head, I do not know - so that the whole person became a filthy bladder or pot. Whether the same thing seemed to happen to those in the height, I do not recall. In the former case I saw such a thing; but I did perceive that they were in extreme anguish. For in this way they were let into subtler mental images, because they had put on an air of holiness.
Footnotes:
1. A constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near Hydra and Vela.
3466. I afterwards spoke with those of this stamp, and informed them that it was impossible for them to enter the sphere of angels, for they would be distressed like a fish when raised out of the water into the air. But as they were of a more subtle genius, they were above at a very considerable height in front, and flowed in with a kind of insensible subtlety. They were those who think such adulteries with married and unmarried women as are mentioned above, to be not only lawful, but holy; thus pretending for them a character of sanctity. To these I remarked, that it was as impossible for such vile adulterers to enter the angelic sphere as for a bird to live in the ether; and I represented a bird in [the empty receiver of] an air-pump; but they thought it was possible; whereupon they themselves were representatively carried upwards, as out of the atmosphere into the ether; and the preacher himself being made the subject of this process, it appeared as if with him the urinary bladder was so dilated as to occupy the whole man, with the exception perhaps of the head, so that he became, as it were, only a filthy bladder or vile utensil. Whether anything similar appeared to take place to those who were in the elevation above-mentioned, I do not recollect. At this time I saw what I have described; but it was perceived that they were fearfully tortured, for they were remitted into more subtle ideas, because they had made a pretence of holiness.
3466. Postea loquutus cum talibus, et dicere datum, quod impossibile iis in sphaeras angelorum venire, nam angerentur sicut dum piscis ex aqua in aerem; sed quia subtiliores tales erant superius antrorsum, ad multam altitudinem, qui influunt subtiliter, et insensibiliter, qui erant ii, qui putant non solum talia promiscua adulteria conjugum, et non conjugum licita, sed sancta, de quibus prius [3440, 3450-3456, 3463], et sic sanctitatem praeferunt; cum iis loquutus, quod impossibile sit adulteris talibus foedis in sphaeras angelicas intrare, sicut est volucri vivere, dum in aetherem venit, et repraesentavi volucrem in antlia, sed ii putabant possibile esse, quare per repraesentationem illati sunt superius, ita ab aere in aetherem, et tunc visum (quod factum erat cum praedicatore) quod vesica urinaria ejus sursum se dilataret, et occuparet totum, si caput non scio, ita ut sic spurca vesica seu matula totus esset. Num simile visum circa eos qui in alto isto non memini, hic vidi tale, sed usque perceptum quod valde angerentur; nam sic in subtiliores ideas missi; quia sanctum praetulerunt.