219. I seemed to be given the ability to communicate heavenly pleasure to upright souls in captivity Since many years ago it has been granted to me to clearly sensate heavenly pleasures in different ways, and so many of them and in such a variety of ways, that I cannot in the least describe those pleasures. They were of a kind that a person on earth could never believe or understand, if I should attempt to describe them. In any case, today, by the mercy of God the Messiah, heavenly pleasures were given to me, not expressible, which I was then allowed to transfer - as if they were from me, when yet they were not from me - to souls in captivity, who said they were able to feel those pleasures, and from them they also received consolation. Moreover, they are called birds* - which is a great comfort to them - because of the way they rise up from captivity into a kind of freedom, both of speaking and of understanding, of perceiving, speaking and seeing; nor can I describe their pleasure, even though I am being allowed to perceive it tangibly. 1747, the 24th day of October (old calendar). * J.F.I. Tafel read "sheep" (oves) for "birds" (aves).