1454. Spirits of the planet Mercury, who are inward sensation, or who constitute it, do not remain in only one place, or within the realm of spirits of only one planet, but wander about the universe, not knowing where they are being carried. Whenever they meet spirits who love material, earthly and bodily things, they shun them, and betake themselves to where they do not hear such things. In this they are like inward sensation, which does not love what pertains to outer sensations, for obviously, for inward sensation to work, it must be removed from the senses of the body. Without its removal from the body, inward sensation cannot operate. Therefore, outer sensations, and the memory of material imagery, darken and even extinguish inward sensation's abilities to operate. For this reason, they cannot stay near this planet, either, but shun it.
I also noticed in myself, when they were speaking with me, that my inner sensation seemed to be moved away from my bodily sensations, so that I was almost deprived of my bodily sensations, even to the point that light vanished from my eye, so that for several moments
1454. 1/2. 1
while I was writing, I could hardly see. Such an effect those spirits have. They cannot be called "inner memory" because they have the ability, or rather, inner sensation gives the ability, to think, as I have just been informed. I could hardly speak with them except by a kind of active thought, which they understand much better than speech with words, which they hate, and do not want to hear. They think of themselves as being thought, more than inner sensation, as they say. They do not, however, have the power of judgment, but simply enjoy higher knowledge. But they can still simply be called thought as well, for inward sensation is not without thought - but thought and judgment differ a great deal.
mThey are not the thought of judgment, because they do not draw conclusions regarding use and purpose, from any purpose.n
Footnotes:
1. Because 1455 is lacking in the original J. F. I. Tafel substituted the number 1455.
1454. Spirits of the planet Mercury, who are the interior sense, or they who constitute it, do not remain in one place or within the sphere of the spirits of one planet, but wander throughout the Universe, not knowing whither they are being carried. Whenever they meet spirits who love material, earthly and corporeal things, they shun them, and betake themselves to where they do not hear such things, as the interior sense regarded in itself does not love the things of the external sense, for it is evident that it must be removed from the senses of the body in order that it may operate; without the removal of these senses from the body the interior sense cannot operate. Therefore the external senses and the memory of material ideas obscure, yea, extinguish the powers of operating of the interior sense. For this reason the spirits of Mercury cannot remain around this earth which they shun. When they were talking with me I also perceived in myself that the internal sense was, as it were, withdrawn from the senses of the body, so that I was almost deprived of those senses, even to the extent that the light vanished from my eye, so that whilst I was writing I could scarcely see for a few moments. Such is their effect.
1454. Spiritus telluris Mercurii, qui sensus interior sunt 1
, seu eum constituunt, non morantur in uno loco, seu intra sphaeram spirituum unius telluris, sed vagantur per universum, nesciunt quo feruntur, ubicunque spiritus tales offendunt, qui materialia, terrestria, et corporea amant, eos fugiunt, seque conferunt eo, ubi non talia audiunt, sicut sensus interior, in se spectatus, non amat ea quae sunt sensuum externorum, constat enim, ut sensus interior operetur, quod removeri debeat a sensibus corporis, absque abductione horum a corpore, interior sensus non operari potest, quare sensus externi, et memoria idearum materialium obfuscant, imo exstinguunt sensus interioris operandi facultates, quare nec circa hanc tellurem morari possunt, quam fugiunt. Percepi etiam in me, cum loquerentur mecum, quod sensus internus quasi abductus sit a sensibus corporis, sic ut orbatus fere fuissem corporis sensibus, usque eo, ut perierit lumen oculo, ut dum scriberem, aliquibus momentis vix potuissem videre, talis est eorum effectus. Non possunt vocari memoria interna, quia inest iis facultas, seu dat sensus internus facultatem cogitandi, sicut nunc instructus sum; vix cum iis loqui potui, nisi per speciem cogitationis activae, quam multo melius intelligunt, quam loquelam vocum, quam odio habent, nec volunt audire. Putant ii [se] esse cogitationem potius quam sensum internum 2
, ut ajunt, sed non habent judicii facultatem, sed simpliciter delectantur cognitionibus, sed usque possunt quoque simpliciter cogitatio vocari, nam sensus interior non est absque cogitatione, at vero cogitatio et judicium multum differunt.
(m)Cogitatio judicii non sunt, quia non de usu et fine et ex fine concludunt.(n)
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has est
2. The Manuscript has sensus internus