43、有一次，水星灵出现在一个球体的左边，后来出现在一个纵向书卷中。我想知道他们想去哪里，是去这个星球还是去别处。不久之后，我发现他们转到右边，不断旋转，直到靠近这个星球或金星，就在它的正面。但一到那里，他们说，他们不想在那里，因为居民都很邪恶；于是，他们转到这个星球的后面部分，然后说，他们想留在那里，因为居民都很善良。当这一切发生时，我感觉我的脑子里发生了很大的变化，由此产生强烈的活动。我由此推断，来自这个星球区域的金星灵与水星灵是一致的，他们与物质概念的记忆有关，而这种记忆与非物质概念的记忆一致，水星灵则与后一种记忆有关。因此，当他们在那里时，从他们发出的活动更强烈了。
43. Some spirits from Mercury once appeared to me in the form of a sphere to my left, and then in the shape of a scroll stretching far into the distance. 1I wondered where they were headed, for our planet or for some other. I soon noticed that they curved back and toward the right, and that their scroll unrolled as they were nearing the front region of the planet Venus. When they got there, though, they said that they did not want to remain in that place because the people there were evil; so they curved around to the back part of the planet 2and said that that was a place they wanted to stay because the people who lived there were good.
While this was going on, I felt a distinct change in my brain 3and strong activity within it as a result.
This led me to conclude that the spirits from that part of the planet Venus were in harmony with the spirits from Mercury. I gathered that those spirits from Venus related to a type of memory of matter-based concepts 4that harmonizes with the memory of non-matter-based concepts to which the spirits from Mercury relate. This is why I felt stronger activity from the spirits of Mercury when they were there.
Footnotes:
1. Compare the description of spirits in the form of a scroll in Other Planets 37 and 2759. Perhaps the idea here is that the stream of traveling spirits is like a scroll unfurling at the beginning of their journey and like a scroll rolling up when they arrive at their destination. Perhaps in between the stream undulates. For a related image, although in a negative context, compare Isaiah 34:4; Revelation 6:14. On the appearance of objects in the spiritual world as projected images, see note 12 in Last Judgment 9. [SS]
2. These references to the “front region” and the “back part” of Venus are in accordance with the static nature of the solar system in the spiritual world as described by Swedenborg in Other Planets 42 105. For more on this arrangement, see note 1 in Other Planets 42. A comparison with Other Planets 108 and the current section’s parallel passage in Secrets of Heaven 7170 shows that the “front region” of Venus mentioned here, where the “evil people” live, is the side facing toward our planet and away from the sun of our world as seen by angels and spirits in the spiritual world, while the “back part” of Venus, where the “good people” live, is the side facing away from our planet and toward the sun of our world there. [LSW, SS]
3. Swedenborg frequently insists that any mental operation or event must represent a change in the state (or, sometimes, of the “forms”) of what he calls “the organic substances” of the brain, by which he means especially the nonmaterial, spiritual substance of the brain of our spiritual body as organized into various structures with specific functions. See, for example, Secrets of Heaven 1533, 2487, 6326; Divine Love and Wisdom 209, 273, 316, 373; Divine Providence 279:6-9; True Christianity 351:2-4, 577:3. It is clear from passages such as Secrets of Heaven 444 that he felt this emphasis was necessary in order to counteract the belief of many that the mind operates independently of actual brain structures. With regard to the brain of our physical body, Swedenborg states that “our earthly mind is made up of both spiritual substances and earthly substances” (Divine Love and Wisdom 257)-meaning the substances of the brain of our spiritual body and the substances of the brain of our earthly body, respectively-and “the two act as a unity” by means of correspondence (Divine Providence 279:7; on “correspondences,” see note 12 in New Jerusalem 1). He insists, however, that “our thinking results from the spiritual substances and not from the earthly substances” (Divine Love and Wisdom 257). In other words, according to Swedenborg our thought processes occur in the brain of our spiritual body, and are only reflected through correspondences in the brain of our physical body. Our physical brain makes it possible for our thoughts to be expressed in physical words and actions, and in the reverse direction, makes it possible for our physical senses to convey information to our thinking, spiritual brain. For more on the nature of the changes in the mind’s organic substances concomitant with feelings and thoughts, see Divine Providence 319. [SS, LSW]
4. The phrase here translated “memory of matter-based concepts” actually reads “memory of non-matter-based concepts” in the first edition of Other Planets and its parallel passage, Secrets of Heaven 7170. However, in the discussion of the planet Venus in Other Planets 107, and in its parallel passage in Secrets of Heaven 7253, the phrase reads “memory of matter-based concepts.” The latter reading has been accepted here, as it seems likely that Swedenborg intended to describe a contrast between the interests of the spirits from Venus and the interests of those from Mercury. [GFD
43. The spirits of Mercury were once seen to the left in a globe, and then later this stretched out lengthwise to form a roll. I wondered where they wanted to go, whether it was to this world or somewhere else. Shortly afterwards I observed that they were turning to the right and rotating until they approached the world or planet Venus, at its forward face. 1But on reaching there they said they did not want to be there, because the people were wicked. So they went around to the rear part of that world; then they said they wanted to stay there, because the people were good. While this was happening I felt a considerable change in my brain, and a strong activity coming from it. From this I was able to infer that the spirits of Venus who come from that region of the planet agreed with the spirits of Mercury, since they answer to the memory of material ideas, which agrees with the memory of non-material ideas to which the spirits of Mercury answer. Consequently, when they were there, the activity emanating from them was stronger.
Footnotes:
1. [The parallel passage at Arcana Caelestia 7170 defines 'forward' as the side turned away from the sun, and the 'rear part' as that facing the sun.-TR.]
43. Once the spirits of Mercury appeared to the left in a globe, and afterwards in a volume extending itself lengthways. I wondered whither they were desirous of going, whether to this earth or elsewhere; and presently I observed that they inclined to the right, and as they rolled along, approached to the earth or planet Venus towards the quarter in front. But when they came thither they said they were unwilling to be there, because the inhabitants were evil; wherefore they turned about to the back part of that earth, and then said that they would willingly stay there, because the inhabitants were good. When this took place, I felt a remarkable change in the brain, and a powerful operation thence proceeding. Hence I was led to conclude that the spirits of Venus, who were on that part of the planet, were in concord with the spirits of Mercury, and that they had relation to the memory of things material which was in concord with the memory of things immaterial, to which latter memory the spirits of Mercury have relation: hence a more powerful operation was felt from them when they were there.
43. Apparebant quondam Spiritus Mercurii ad sinistrum in globo, et dein in volumine extendente se in longum; et miratus quo vellent, num ad hanc Tellurem, vel num alio, et mox animadvertebam, quod flecterent se dextrorsum, et se revolvendo approximarent ad Tellurem seu Planetam Veneris, ad plagam ejus anteriorem; sed cum illuc venirent, dicebant, quod ibi esse nollent, quia mali; quare se circumflectebant ad posteriorem partem illius telluris, et tunc dicebant, quod ibi morari vellent, quia illi, qui ibi, sunt boni. Hoc cum fiebat, sentiebam in Cerebro mutationem insignem, et operationem fortem inde. Exinde concludere dabatur, quod Spiritus Veneris, qui ab illa parte Planetae sunt, concordarent cum Spiritibus Mercurii, et quod illi referrent Memoriam rerum immaterialium concordantem cum Memoria immaterialium, quam spiritus Mercurii referunt: inde operatio fortior sentita est ab illis cum ibi erant.