When the physical and material elements that are the lowermost of a human being have finally submitted to the good pleasure of the Lord, so as not to appear at all, but are as if obedient, they are portrayed in the world of spirits as was shown to me, first, as if they were intestinal shapes stuck together by a convergence of many, but without life, the shapes having become of a wooden or bony brown color. In those who are deceitful, however, when examined by the angels, these shapes appear as converging snakes of different kinds, depending on the nature of the deceit. But in humans who are being reformed they do not appear as snakes, but only pieces of wood and bone converging in about the same way, because their body or bodily elements are be-ginning to be nothing, thus without life. These things were portrayed and shown to me. Then also