37、水星灵因具有丰富的知识而颇感自豪。这使得他们以为，他们知道得太多了，以至于几乎没有不知道的了。但我们地球灵告诉他们说，他们知道得并不多，而是很少；相对来说，他们所不知道的是无限的。他们说，他们所知道的相对于他们所不知道的，就像大洋里的水相对于微小源泉里的水。他们说，通向智慧的第一步就是知道、承认并发觉一个人所知道的与他所不知道的相比如此之少，以至于几乎什么也不是。为向他们证明这是事实，一位天使灵蒙允许与他们交谈，告诉水星灵他们所知道和所不知道的一般术语，声称还有无限事物是他们所不知道的，并且他们甚至永远不可能知道这些一般事物。他以天使的观念说话，比他们说起话来容易得多；令他们惊愕不已的是，他能发现他们所知道的和所不知道的。后来，我看到另一位天使与他们交谈；他出现在右上方某个高度，来自我们地球。他列举了一长串他们所不知道的事，然后又通过状态的改变与他们交谈，他们声称他们不明白这种状态的改变。于是，他告诉他们，状态的每一个改变都包含无限事物，一个改变的每一个最小细节也是如此。听到这些事，他们之前因自己的知识而如此骄傲，于是开始谦卑下来。他们的谦卑表现为他们的书卷下沉；因为那时，他们的群体表现为书卷的形式，就在前面朝左一段距离处，在肚脐之下那个区域的层面。这书卷看似中间被挖空，两边被抬高。我还发现它里面有某种来回运动，他们被告知这一切的含义，也就是说，表示他们在谦卑状态下所思考的东西，而出现在两边高起之处的人则还没有谦卑下来。我看见这书卷被分开，那些没有谦卑下来的人被押回他们自己的星球，而剩下的留在原处。
37. Since spirits from Mercury have an abundance of knowledge, they have a particular kind of pride as well. They think they know so much that there is hardly anything more to know. Some spirits from our planet told them, though, that what they know is not a lot but a little, and what they do not know is infinite in comparison. They said that what the spirits from Mercury know is like a trickle from a little spring, and what they do not know is like a vast ocean. They added that the first threshold of wisdom is to know, admit, and perceive that what they know is hardly anything at all in comparison to what they do not know.
To teach them that this was so, an angelic spirit was allowed to talk with them and review with them in general terms what they knew and what they did not know, showing that what they did not know was infinite, and that to all eternity they would be unable to comprehend even a general outline of the underlying reality. This spirit communicated using angelic images, communicating far more quickly than they were able to, and since he was disclosing what they knew and what they did not know, they were stunned.
Later I saw an angel talking with them. He appeared somewhat above and on the right. He was from our planet. He listed a great many things they did not know, and then communicated with them using changes of state, which they said they did not understand at all. He told them that each change of state contained infinite details, and that each detail contained an infinity as well.
Because they had placed such pride in what they knew, when they heard this they began to feel profoundly humble. Their feelings of humility were represented by a lowering of their scroll (as a group they now began to look from a distance like a scroll, 2in front of me and off to the left, on a level below the navel). The scroll then appeared low in the middle but raised at each end and had a noticeable back-and-forth motion as well. They were told what this meant; namely, it was a reflection of what they were thinking as they were feeling humble; and it meant that the spirits who appeared at the raised ends were not yet feeling any humility. Then I saw the scroll split apart and the spirits who were not feeling humble were sent back toward their own planet, while the rest stayed where they were.
Footnotes:
2. On spirits appearing like a scroll, see note 1 in Other Planets 43. [Editors]
37. The spirits of Mercury are rather proud of how much they know. This makes them think that, since they know so much, there can hardly be any more to know. But they were told by spirits from our world that their knowledge is not extensive but limited, and what they do not know is comparatively speaking infinite. They said that, compared with what they knew, what they did not know was like the waters of a mighty ocean compared with those of a tiny spring. The first step towards wisdom, they said, was to know, acknowledge and perceive that what a person knows is so small compared with what he does not know as to be scarcely anything.
To prove to them that this was so, an angelic spirit was permitted to talk with them, telling them in general terms what they knew and did not know, and asserting that there were infinite things they did not know, and all eternity would not be enough to learn even the general principles. He spoke in angelic ideas, much more readily than they did, and they were amazed to find that he could disclose what they knew and what they did not know.
Later I saw another angel speaking with them; he was to be seen at some height towards the right. He came from our world. He went through a long list of things they did not know; and then talked with them by changes of state, something they said they did not understand. So he told them that each change of state contained an infinite number of things, as also did the smallest detail of a change. On hearing this they began to humble themselves, having previously been so proud their knowledge. Their self-abasement was pictured by the letting down of their roll (for their group then appeared in the form of a roll, in front towards the left at a distance, on a level with the region below the navel.) The roll looked as if sagging in the middle but high at both sides. I could observe some to-and-fro movement taking place in it, and they were told the meaning of this; it showed what they were thinking in their state of self-abasement, while those high up at the sides were not yet humbling themselves. I saw the roll divide, those not humbling themselves being banished back towards their own globe, while the remainder stayed.
37. Because the spirits of Mercury abound in knowledges, they are in a certain kind of pride; hence they imagine that they know so much, that it is almost impossible to know more. But it was told them by the spirits of our earth, that they do not know many, but few things, and that the things which they do not know are respectively infinite, and that those things which they do not know, compared to the things they know, are like the waters of the largest ocean compared with the waters of a very small fountain; and further, that the first step to wisdom is to know, acknowledge, and perceive that what is known is little and scarce anything in comparison with what is unknown. To convince them that this is the case, it was granted, that a certain angelic spirit should speak with them, and should tell them in general what they knew, and what they did not know, and that there were infinite things which they did not know, also that to eternity they could not even know the general things. He spoke by angelic ideas much more readily than they did, and because he discovered to them what they knew, and what they did not know, they were struck with amazement. Afterwards I saw another angel speaking with them, who appeared in some altitude to the right. He was from our earth, and enumerated very many things which they did not know. Afterwards he spoke with them by changes of state, which they said they did not understand. Then he told them that every change of state contains infinite things, as did also every smallest part of such change. When they heard these things, inasmuch as they had been in pride on account of their knowledges, they began to humble themselves. Their humiliation was represented by the sinking downwards of their volume; for that company then appeared as a volume, in front at a distance towards the left, in the plane of the region below the navel, but the volume appeared as it were hollowed in the middle, and elevated on the sides; a reciprocal moving was also observed therein. They were likewise told what that signified, that is, what they thought in their humiliation, and that they who appeared elevated on the sides were not as yet in any humiliation. And I saw that the volume was separated, and that they who were not in humiliation were remanded back towards their orb, the rest remaining where they were.
37. Quia Spiritus Mercurii abundant cognitionibus, in aliqua specie fastus sunt; inde putant, quod tam multa sciant, ut vix plus sciri possit: sed illis a nostrae Telluris spiritibus dictum est, quod non multa sciant, sed pauca, et quod illa quae non sciunt sint infinita respective: quodque illa, quae non sciunt, ad illa quae sciunt, sint sicut aquae maximi Oceani ad aquas pusilli fontis; tum quod primum limen ad sapientiam sit scire, agnoscere, et percipere, quod quae scit tam parum sit ut vix aliquid sit ad illa qua non scit. Ut scirent quod ita esset, dabatur ut quidam angelicus spiritus cum illis loqueretur, et diceret illis in genere, quid scirent et non scirent, et quod infinita essent quae non scirent, tum quod in aeternum ne quidem communia rerum scire possent: loquebatur ille per ideas angelicas, multo promptius quam illi, et quia detegebat quid scirent, et quid non scirent, stupore perculsi sunt. Postea vidi alium angelum cum illis loquentem, apparuit ille in aliqua altitudine dextrorsum; erat ille ex nostra Tellure; is enumerabat perplurima quae non scirent; et postea loquebatur cum illis per mutationes status, quas dicebant se non intelligere; tunc illis dicebat, quod unaquaevis mutatio status infinita contineat, et quoque unumquodvis minimum ejus. Cum haec audiverunt, quia fuerunt in fastu propter cognitiones, coeperunt se humiliare: humiliatio repraesentabatur per voluminis eorum demissionem deorsum, (nam apparebat cohors illa tunc sicut volumen, antrorsum versus sinistrum ad distantiam, in plano regionis infra umbilicum sed volumen apparebat sicut incavatum in medio, et a lateribus elevatum; reciproca etiam motitatio ibi animadvertebatur: dicebantur etiam illis, quid id significaret, hoc est, quid cogitarent in sua humiliatione, et quod illi, qui a lateribus elevati apparebant, nondum in aliqua humiliatione essent: et vidi quod separaretur volumen, et quod illi, qui non in humiliatione erant, relegarentur versus suum orbem, reliquis remanentibus.