Observations placeholder
Book of Enoch- 14
Identifier
022966
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
With eyes open or closed there is frequent mention of gems on visions – it seems as though the supernatural world conjures up gems of every sort for the visitor – transparent fruit, stones of silver, gold, beryl and so on. These gems are also described as crystals of different colours or jewels, usually supremely beautiful, with an inner shining light.
Over and over again there is the mention of ‘glass’ – which probably means crystal.
In the Book of Revelation there are seas of glass and the New Jerusalem has walls which are gold and transparent. In Celtic tradition, the home of the dead is called Ynys Gutrin – the Island of Glass. In Teutonic tradition, the home of the dead is Glasberg [Glass Mountain].
There are seas of glass/crystal, buildings of crystal, roads of crystal and so on. Transparent or semi transparent luminous objects.
The following observation is particularly interesting as it combines a number of symbolic features which are recurring patterns – flames, tongues of fire, air/sky, walls, a palace, and ‘cherubim’ [angels] or non humanoid figures.
A description of the experience
The Book of Enoch 14
- And the vision was shown to me thus: Behold in the vision clouds invited me and a mist summoned me and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me and the winds in the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward and bore me into heaven
- And I went in till I drew nigh to a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire and it began to affright me
- And I went into the tongues of fire and drew nigh to a large house which was built of crystal and the walls of the house were like a tessellated floor made of crystal and its groundwork was of crystal
- Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings and between them were fiery cherubim and their heaven was clear as water
- A flaming fire surrounded the walls and its portal blazed with fire
- And I entered into that house and it was hot as fire and cold as ice, there were no delights of life therein, fear covered me and trembling gat hold of me
- And I quaked and trembled and fell upon my face ..
- And lo! There was a second house, greater than the former and the entire portal stood open before me and it was built of flames of fire
- And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and extent that I cannot describe to you its splendour
- And its floor was of fire and above it were lightnings and the path of the stars and its ceiling also was flaming fire