The angels and spirits from Great Tartary are found in a southern
region toward the east. They are separated from all others by their loca-
tion on a high plateau. They do not let in people from the Christian
world. If some manage to climb up to them, they put them under guard
to keep them from leaving. The reason for this separation is that they
have a different Word.
The fourth memorable occurrence.Once from far away I saw paths that 280
lay between rows of trees. Young people were gathered there in discussion
groups to talk about topics related to wisdom. (This was in the spiritual
world.) I moved in their direction, and when I was close enough I saw
that all the others revered one person as most important among them
because he excelled the rest in wisdom.
When he saw me, he said, “I was astounded when I saw you coming
along on the road, because one moment you would be in view and the
next you would disappear. One moment I can see you, and then suddenly
I cannot. You are definitely not in the same state of life as we are!”
Tickled by that, I said, “I am not a trickster or a magician, but I do
come and go! One moment I am in the light for you, the next moment I am
in the shade. In this world I am both a foreigner and a native.”
The sage looked at me and said, “What you are saying is strange and
amazing. Tell me who you are.”
“I am in the world you used to live in and have now left,” I said,
“which is called the earthly or physical world. I am also in the world where
you are now, called the spiritual world. As a result I am in an earthly state
and a spiritual state at the same time. I am in an earthly state with people
on earth and in a spiritual state with all of you. When I am in an earthly
state, you do not see me. When I am in a spiritual state, you do see me.
This circumstance of mine is a gift from the Lord.
“As an enlightened man, you know that people in the earthly world
do not see people in the spiritual world or the reverse. Therefore when I
put my spirit in my body, you do not see me, but when I take it out of
my body, you do see me. This happens because of the difference between
what is spiritual and what is earthly.”
[ 2 ] When he heard me mention the difference between what is spiri-
tual and what is earthly, he asked, “What is the difference? Isn’t it like the
difference between something more pure and something less pure? What is
something spiritual then, except something earthly that is just more pure?”
“That is not the nature of the difference,” I replied. “No matter how
subtle something earthly becomes, it will never get close to becoming
§280 sacred scripture 343