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‘And I entered the large room that shone as brightly as the interior of a temple. Beings with human faces and human hands were running about everywhere. They were carrying all kinds of apparatus and often cases of different sizes as well. They gave them to other beings who stood behind low walls and wore peculiar headgear with the sign of the eagle. The temple hall was filled with celestial music. I did not know where it came from. Often I heard an angel's voice and once I caught the words: "Then a cherub took me by the hand and led me to a seraph who was very kind to me and gave me a small piece of paper and said, "Your ticket". I could not decipher the divine writing on it. And then the cherub stood next to me again and led me to a big gleaming heavenly bird which stood on a large smooth area in the vast park of the heavenly beasts. The heavenly bird rested on eight black wheels that protruded from the metal belly of the motionless monster like calves' feet and seemed to be of tanned leather. The gigantic wings of the gleaming heavenly creature were spread wide. Everyone awaited the god who was to fly with us and whom my cherub called the pilot. And I saw that many wheels turned in one of these holes. The heavenly bird obviously belonged to the god "Swiss-air", for a brightly shining wall spoke this name often. In the belly of the bird of the god the air was filled with the sound of harps and a pleasing smell of jasmine rose to my nostrils. Now another cherub with an incomparably lovely figure came and put me in a throne and fastened a broad band tightly round my waist. The harp music died away; a god's voice announced: "Please stop smoking and fasten your seat belts." The voice proclaimed many more prophecies which I understood as little as I had understood everything else that had been said. Suddenly a terrible noise, like the roaring and thundering of a violent storm, was heard. The bird shuddered, started to move and roared away from the other diving birds faster than the fleeing leopard. And it rushed away faster and faster, as mighty as the surge of the sea, strong as the sons of our first mother the Sun. Fear oppressed my breast like a tightly fitting red-hot band. My senses swam. 'Then the charming cherub stood beside me again, handed me intoxicating divine nectar, raised her hand and opened a sluice above me. A refreshing celestial wind blew in my face. Now I raised my eyes and lo, from out of the belly of the divine bird I could see the wings which were motionless and did not move like the flapping of birds' wings. Below me I caught sight of water and clouds and a jumble of green and brown in strange jagged shapes. I felt very disturbed and I gave a start. Then the cherub stood beside me yet again and made known to me the wisdom of the heavenly one: "Be not afraid, no one has ever stayed up here." ' I have just recounted a plane journey as it might have been told by one of our remote ancestors if he had flown from Zurich to New York in a modern jet aircraft. Apparently an absurd fancy, but we shall 10 - To India To Consult The Sacred Texts "Flight 101 to New York—gate 12". ‘As I climbed the silver ladder to the bird, I saw on the wings four great boxes, each of which had a large hole in it. see that it is by no means so ridiculous.