The Angelic Boatman approaches the Island of Purgatory. Ill: Gustave Doré.
“Fall to your knees, fall to your knees!
Behold the angel of the Divine! And fold your hands.
Expect to see more ministers like him.”
After the Pilgrim has girded his waist with a soft reed, as a symbol of the necessary humility to gain deeper insights into the world and the Heavens, he sees the Angelic Boatman approaching over the waters. The Boatman in some ways representing the first blessing on the journey of purgation. The rewards and affermations are immediate once an approach of openness is adopted. And with the promise, of many more blessings to come.