Heaven is made up of 9 levels.
700 years ago, a poet described what it's like to climb them — and what kind of person lands at each level.
Here's what he finds at the very top... (thread) 🧵
In 1321, Alighieri Dante imagined a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. It's one of the most imaginative stories ever told.
He travels right to the bottom of Hell and describes each of its 9 levels...
Why? Because to journey upward in life, you must first descend into the depths of your own soul.
At the very bottom, the bitterly cold point furthest from God's grace, is Satan — trapped in a frozen lake of his own tears...
After escaping Hell, Dante climbs Mount Purgatory, and is purged of the 7 deadly sins.
Passing through a fire cleansing him of lust, he arrives at last at the Garden of Eden.
But the garden is still an Earthly realm. Here, he's prepared for his journey up to Heaven:
His memories of his mortal sins are removed, and memories of his good deeds are strengthened.
Finally, untethered by sin, Dante may ascend to Paradise. It consists of 9 rings, each more blessed than the last, and God resides in the 10th layer.
But his journey isn't want you expect — it takes him through the cosmos...
The first level is the Moon. Those who abandoned their vows (promises to God) reside here. This is a big deal, because free will was God's greatest gift to Man.
By failing to reciprocate this gift, you land in the least blessed sphere.
2nd is Mercury — for those who did good things but out of selfish ambition, not a higher purpose.
Emperor Justinian is here: although he established a new age of Roman law and order, he did it to bolster his own legacy.
3rd is Venus, for those who did good things but chased sinful urges while doing so.
Charles Martel appears: he was a skilled military leader, but was tempted by a forbidden love affair.
4th is the Sun, for the souls of the wisest. Thomas Aquinas appears as a beam of light, since he illuminated humanity intellectually.
Saint Bonaventure also appears. In life, he was of a rival Christian sect — here, he's joined with Aquinas in camaraderie.
5th is Mars, the god of war in Roman mythology, where we meet warriors who fought for the faith.
A cross bearing a visage of Christ appears, and lights around it reveal themselves as people like Joshua and Charlemagne.
6th is Jupiter, traditionally the king of the gods. Just rulers reside here, appearing in the shape of a great eagle.
We find the Roman Emperor Constantine, and David, the third king of Israel.
7th is Saturn, where there's an infinite ladder of lights. It's climbed by those who mastered discipline and kept their vows: monks like Peter Damian and Saint Benedict.
It's now time for Dante to climb the ladder, and see what's waiting at the top...
Dante climbs up to the constellations, the 8th sphere. He finds himself in the constellation Gemini, under which he was born.
The saints now appear, like the Virgin Mary and Peter, shining like stars to reflect their unwavering virtue.
Next, he reaches the very edge of the physical universe: the Crystalline. This 9th sphere is where the angels reside, and it's moved directly by God.
The angels are arranged in 9 rings, surrounding an intensely bright light...
Beyond all 9 physical spheres lies the Empyrean, a realm of pure light and the ultimate abode of God.
Every soul Dante has encountered also resides here, in the form of an enormous rose — the souls are its petals and angels circle it like bees.
The rose is a symbol of love, and Heaven love's ultimate form.
At the very center is God, with whom Dante will now finally come face-to-face...
What Dante sees next he can't exactly comprehend or describe. It's the source of all Good in a single image, but somehow made of three rings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Within it, he makes out a fourth aspect — the faint form of a man within the trinity...
Looking intently at the man, Dante finally understands: that he himself is part of the divine life.
He is somehow spinning, like a perfect wheel, with "the Love that moves the sun and the other stars"...
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The Divine Comedy is best enjoyed alongside the astounding art of Gustave Doré.
His depiction of Dante witnessing the Empyrean — the saintly throng in the form a rose...
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