Spiritual Experiences (Odhner) n. 3391

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3391. After that he was seasoned. For evil spirits that were capable of such things began to torment him, namely, by twisting (igenom gnuggande*), so that the whole of him was being so miserably twisted again and again, folded** (gnuggad***) back and forth, very painfully, at first by turns not so fast, and not such fast intervals, that I was surprised that one who was not evil was nevertheless undergoing such punishment. I realized, however, that the evil spirits could not operate except into his outward parts; for the inward parts I perceived to be like those of others who would be preserved. But while he was thus being twisted and tormented by the evil so that he would agree with them, he, being good, was still kept by companies of good inward spirits and angels in such a state that he would not agree, but would resist. So they had been unable to force him to become as they had hoped he would through punishment. Thus he was gradually introduced into swifter gyres, and so into the first plane of gyration, so that he would be able to be among inward spirits also with his outer qualities-which is the first plane into which outer qualities are brought back so as to agree with inner ones. This process is accompanied by torment, but they are ever held in such a state that they do not feel the torment, and this of course by the Lord, namely, that their inward qualities may then be such that they seem to themselves as wanting to resist, and to conquer the evils, lest the enemies from without who are tormenting their bodily parts should conquer. So they are gradually inaugurated. Their state is also then a kind of sleep, also so that they may not feel. * Swedish for "by rubbing." ** The Latin is plicatus, perhaps intended to be fricatus (see next footnote.) *** Swedish for "rubbed."


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