Nature Mysticism

Nature Mysticism

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Nature Mysticism, by J. Edward
Mercer This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
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Title: Nature Mysticism
Author: J. Edward Mercer
Release Date: June 9, 2006 [EBook #18539]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NATURE
MYSTICISM ***

Produced by Ruth Hart

NATURE MYSTICISM
BY
J. EDWARD MERCER, D.D., OXON. BISHOP OF TASMANIA
LONDON GEORGE ALLEN & COMPANY, Ltd. 44 & 45

RATHBONE PLACE
1913
All rights reserved
PREFACE
The aims of this study of Nature Mysticism, and the methods adopted
for attaining them, are sufficiently described in the introductory chapter.
It may be said, by way of special preface, that the nature mystic here
portrayed is essentially a "modern." He is assumed to have accepted the
fundamentals of the hypothesis of evolution. Accordingly, his
sympathy with the past is profound: so also is his sense of the reality
and continuity of human development, physical, psychic, and mystical.
Moreover, he tries to be abreast of the latest critical and scientific
conclusions. Imperfections manifold will be discovered in the pages
that follow; but the author asks that a percentage of them may be
attributed to the difficulties of writing in Tasmania and publishing at
the antipodes.
J. E. M.
Bishop's Court, Hobart, March, 1912.

CONTENTS
Chapter I.
Introductory 1
Chapter II.
Nature, and the Absolute 7
Chapter III.

Mystic Intuition and Reason 15
Chapter IV.
Man and Nature 23
Chapter V.
Mystic Receptivity 30
Chapter VI.
Development and Discipline of Intuition 38
Chapter VII.
Nature not Symbolic 45
Chapter VIII.
The Charge of Anthropomorphism 54
Chapter IX.
The Immanent Idea 65
Chapter X.
Animism, Ancient and Modern 71
Chapter XI.
Will and Consciousness in Nature 79
Chapter XII.
Mythology 90

Chapter XIII.
Poetry and Nature Mysticism 97
Chapter XIV.
The Beautiful and the Ugly 106
Chapter XV.
Nature Mysticism and the Race 117
Chapter XVI.
Thales 123
Chapter XVII.
The Waters under the Earth 129
Chapter XVIII.
Springs and Wells 138
Chapter XIX.
Brooks and Streams 145
Chapter XX.
Rivers and Life 151
Chapter XXI.
Rivers and Death 158
Chapter XXII.

The Ocean 165
Chapter XXIII.
Waves 172
Chapter XXIV.
Still Waters 179
Chapter XXV.
Anaximenes and the Air 187
Chapter XXVI.
Winds and Clouds 192
Chapter XXVII.
Heracleitus and the Cosmic Fire 203
Chapter XXVIII.
Fire and the Sun 211
Chapter XXIX.
Light and Darkness 222
Chapter XXX.
The Expanse of Heaven--Colour 228
Chapter XXXI.
The Moon--A Special Problem 235

Chapter XXXII.
Earth, Mountains, and Plains 242
Chapter XXXIII.
Seasons, Vegetation, Animals 248
Chapter XXXIV.
Pragmatic 257
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY
A wave of Mysticism is passing over the civilised nations. It is
welcomed by many: by more it is mistrusted. Even the minds to which
it would naturally appeal are often restrained from sympathy by fears of
vague speculative driftings and of transcendental emotionalism. Nor
can it be doubted that such an attitude of aloofness is at once reasonable
and inevitable. For a systematic exaltation of formless ecstasies, at the
expense of sense and intellect, has a tendency to become an infirmity if
it does not always betoken loss of mental balance. In order, therefore,
to disarm natural prejudice, let an opening chapter be devoted to
general exposition of aims and principles.
The subject is Nature Mysticism. The phenomena of "nature" are to be
studied in their mystical aspects. The wide term Mysticism is used
because, in spite of many misleading associations, it is hard to replace.
"Love of nature" is too general: "cosmic emotion" is too specialised.
But let it at once be understood that the Mysticism here contemplated is
neither of the popular nor of the esoteric sort. In other words, it is not
loosely synonymous with the magical or supernatural; nor is it a name
for peculiar forms of ecstatic experience which claim to break away
from the spheres of the senses and the intellect. It will simply be taken
to cover the causes and the effects involved in that wide range of

intuitions and emotions which nature stimulates without definite appeal
to conscious reasoning processes. Mystic intuition and mystic emotion
will thus be regarded, not as antagonistic to sense impression, but as
dependent on it--not as scornful of reason, but merely as more basic
and primitive.
Science describes nature, but it cannot feel nature; still less can it
account for that sense of kinship with nature which is so characteristic
of many of the foremost thinkers of the day. For life is more and more
declaring itself to be something fuller than a blind play of physical
forces,