general picture of how the universe was created, they can focus on the
details. This is because parts adapt to the whole, and the whole places
the parts in a harmonious arrangement. In what follows, the truth of this
will come to light in many ways.48 To these points I will add the following memorable occurrence.
Once I had a conversation with two angels, one of whom came from
a heaven in the east and the other from a heaven in the south When these
angels realized that I was meditating on secrets of wisdom having to do
with love, they said, “Are you not aware of the wisdom games that take
place in our world?”
“Not yet,” I said.
“There are lots of them,” they said. They explained that spirits who
love truth in a spiritual way (loving it because it is true and because it
leads to wisdom) gather together on receiving a sign; these spirits then
debate issues that require deep understanding, and draw conclusions.
The angels took me by the hand, saying to me, “Come with us and
you will see and hear. We received the sign that a gathering is happen-
ing today.”
They led me across a large flat area of land to a hill. I was surprised to
see here a covered walkway or colonnade formed entirely of living palm
trees. It began at the bottom of the hill and continued to the top. We
went into it and made our way up the hill. At the hill’s highest point a
stand of trees came into view. Within this stand of trees, earth had been
built up in such a way as to form an arena. In the arena there was a level
area paved with pebbles of different colors. Around the paved part, on all
four sides, there were chairs set up on which the lovers of wisdom were
sitting. At the center of the whole arena there was a table. On it lay a
document sealed with a signet ring.
[ 2 ] The people sitting on the chairs invited us to take some unoccu-
pied seats, but I replied, “I was brought here by these two angels not to
sit, but to watch and to listen.”
Then the two angels went to the table in the middle of the paved area
and broke the seal on the document. To the seated participants they read
what was written in the document—mysteries of wisdom that the crowd
was to discuss and unfold. These mysteries had been written by angels of
the third heaven and sent down to that table.