Earths In Our Solar System Which Are Called Planets, and Earths In The Starry Heaven Their Inhabita | Page 4

they
were from the earth nearest to the sun, which on our Earth is called the
planet Mercury. Immediately on their coming they sifted out of my
memory the things that I knew. This, spirits can do most skilfully, for
when they come to a man they see in his memory all the particulars it
contains[j]. While passing in review the various things, and, among
others, the cities and places where I had been, I observed that they had
no wish to know the temples, palaces, houses, and streets, but only the
things I knew to have been done in them, also the things that related to
the government there, and to the genius and manners of the inhabitants,
and other similar things; for such matters are closely associated with
the places in a man's memory, so that when the places are called to
mind, these matters also suggest themselves. I was surprised to find
them of such a character, and therefore inquired why they disregarded
the magnificent objects of the places, and only inquired into the facts
and transactions connected with them. They said that they had no
delight in regarding material, corporeal, and terrestrial things, but only
things that are real. Hence it was proved that the spirits of that earth, in
the Grand Man, have relation to the memory of things abstracted from
material and terrestrial things.
[Footnote j: Spirits enter into all things of man's memory, and do not
[insinuate anything] from their own [memory] into the man's, nos. 2488,
5863, 6192, 6193, 6198, 6199, 6214. The angels enter into the
affections and ends, from which and for the sake of which a man thinks,
wills, and acts in such or such a manner in preference to every other,
nos. 1317, 1645, 5844.]
12. I was told that the life of the inhabitants of that earth is such,
namely, that they do not concern themselves about terrestrial and
corporeal things, but only about the statutes, laws, and governments of
the nations there; and also about the things of heaven, which are
innumerable. I was further informed, that many of the men (_homines_)
of that earth converse with spirits, and that thence they have
knowledges respecting spiritual things and the states of life after death,
and that thence also they have a contempt for corporeal and terrestrial

things; for those who know for a certainty, and believe, that there is a
life after death, are concerned about heavenly things, as being eternal
and blessed, but not about worldly things, except so far as the
necessities of life require. Such being the character of its inhabitants,
such also is that of the spirits who are from it[k].
[Footnote k: The spirits who are with man are in possession of all
things of his memory, nos. 5853, 5857, 5859, 5860.]
13. How eagerly they search for and imbibe the knowledges of such
things as pertain to the memory raised above the sensual things of the
body, was made manifest to me from the circumstance that when they
looked into the things which I knew respecting heavenly subjects, they
ran over them all, and kept on stating the nature of each. For when
spirits come to a man, they enter into the whole of his memory, and call
forth from it what suits themselves; nay, what I have often observed,
they read its contents as from a book[k]. These spirits did this more
skilfully and quickly, because they did not linger over such matters as
are heavy and sluggish, and confine and consequently impede the
internal sight, as is the nature of all terrestrial and corporeal things,
when regarded as ends, that is, when alone loved; but they devoted
their attention to things themselves; for those matters to which
terrestrial things do not cling, carry the mind (_animus_) upwards, and
so introduce it into a wide field [of view], whereas merely material
things drag the mind (_animus_) downwards, and thus limit and
imprison it. Their eagerness to acquire knowledges and enrich the
memory was further evident from the following circumstances: Once,
when I was writing something concerning things to come, and they
were at a distance, so that they could not look into those things from
my memory; because I was unwilling to read them in their presence,
they were very indignant, and, contrary to their usual demeanour, they
were disposed to inveigh against me, saying that I was the worst of men,
and other like things; and, to show their resentment, they caused a kind
of contraction, attended with pain, on the right side of my head as far as
the ear; but such treatment did me no harm. As, however, they had
done evil, they removed themselves to a still greater distance, yet kept
stopping, being desirous of knowing