that they scarcely knew whether they were alive or not. Therefore
they hastily betook themselves to the heaven from which they came,
glad to get back among their like, and pledging themselves that they
would no longer covet higher things than were in agreement with their
life. Again, I have seen some let down from a higher heaven; and
these were deprived of their wisdom until they no longer knew what
their own heaven was. It is otherwise when, as is often done, angels
are raised up by the Lord out of a lower heaven into a higher that
they may behold its glory; for then they are prepared beforehand, and
are encompassed by intermediate angels, through whom they have
communication with those they come among. From all this it is plain
that the three heavens are entirely distinct from each other.


36. Those, however, who are in the same heaven can affiliate with any
who are there; but the delights of such affiliation are measured by
the kinships of good they have come into; of which more will be said
in the following chapters.


37. But although the heavens are so distinct that there can be no
companionship between the angels of one heaven and the angels of
another, still the Lord joins all the heavens together by both direct
and mediate influx-direct from Himself into all the heavens, and
mediate from one heaven into another.{1} He thus makes the three
heavens to be one, and all to be in such connection from the First to
the Last that nothing unconnected is possible. Whatever is not
connected through intermediates with the First can have no permanent
existence, but is dissipated and becomes nothing.{2}