94. I saw a most beautiful flaming object, of varying colour, purple then changing from white to red. The flame gave the colours a most beautiful reddish tinge. I also saw a hand to which this flaming object adhered, at first to the back of the hand, then to the palm or hollow of the hand, from where it licked all round. This lasted for some time; then the hand together with the flaming object moved off to a distance, and filled the place where it stopped with light. The hand receded in this bright area, and then the flaming object turned into a bird. To begin with the bird had the same colours as the flame and its colours glittered in the same way, but then they underwent a series of changes, and as they changed, so did the bird's liveliness. It flew around, first round my head, then ahead of me into a narrow room which resembled a shrine. The further it flew ahead, the more its liveliness declined, until at last it was turned to stone. At first its colour was like pearl, but later dark; and for all that it was lifeless, it could still fly.
[2] While this bird was flying round my head and was still lively, a spirit was seen rising up from below through the region of the loins as far as the chest. He wanted to take the bird away, but because it was so beautiful, the spirits around me prevented him, for they all had their gaze fixed on it. But the spirit who had come up insistently persuaded them that he had the Lord with him, and was acting on His instructions. Although most of them did not believe this, they stopped preventing him from taking away the bird. But at that instant an influence from heaven forced him to let go, and he quickly let it fly free from his hand.
[3] After this incident the spirits around me, who had watched the bird and its successive changes intently, discussed it among themselves for quite a long time. They perceived that such a vision must certainly have some heavenly meaning. They knew that something flaming means celestial love and its affections; the hand to which it adhered means life and the power of life; the changes of colour, variations in life as regards wisdom and intelligence. A bird has a similar meaning, with the difference that something flaming means celestial love and what is to do with it, a bird spiritual love and what is to do with that. (Celestial love is love to the Lord, spiritual love is charity towards the neighbour.)# The bird's changes in colour and liveliness, until it was turned to stone, mean successive changes in spiritual life as regards intelligence.
[4] They also knew that spirits who come up through the region of the loins to that of the chest cling obstinately to the false belief that they are in the Lord, so that they believe that everything they do, however wicked, is done with the Lord's consent. However, this was not enough to let them know who it was that were meant by this vision. They were eventually informed from heaven that the inhabitants of Mars were meant. Their celestial love, which many of them still retain, was meant by the flaming object which adhered to the hand. The bird to begin with, when its colours were at their loveliest and its liveliness most vigorous, meant their spiritual love. However, when the bird was turned to stone and became lifeless, eventually turning a dark colour, this meant the inhabitants of that world who departed from the good of love and are devoted to evil, while still believing that they are in the Lord. The spirit who rose up and wanted to carry off the bird had a similar meaning. # The first and most ancient church in this world was a celestial church, the leading one of all (AC 607, 895, 920, 1121-4, 2896, 4493, 8891, 9942, 10545). A church is called celestial when its principal feature is love to the Lord, but spiritual when its principal feature is charity towards the neighbour and faith (AC 3691, 6435, 9468, 9680, 9683, 9780).