The Inhabited Universe

by Frederick L. Schnarr

2. THE INHABITANTS OF MERCURY

In this article we would direct attention to the nature and life of the peoples from the planet Mercury. With that object in mind we shall review some of the general scientific data now available concerning the planet itself, noting some of the conclusions that have been drawn from this data. We shall note certain teachings of the Writings which relate to and bear on the present findings of science; and we shall then examine in some detail what the Writings say about the peoples in the other world who have come from the planet Mercury.

The Planet Mercury

Mercury lies closer to the sun of our solar system than any other known planet. It is estimated to be thirty-six million miles from the sun. A small planet, only one twenty-seventh as large as our earth in mass, it has a diameter of 3,100 miles. Since one side of the planet is always turned toward the sun, the other side never facing the sun, and since there is only an extremely thin atmosphere surrounding the entire planet, it is concluded that each side of Mercury remains in extreme temperatures; temperatures so extreme that no human life, if any form of life whatever, could possibly exist there.

The temperature of the side of Mercury that faces the sun is estimated to average 540 degrees F., while that of the other side is thought to average - 459 degrees F. If we think of the planet as being divided into two hemispheres, with one side of the planet being continually in the broiling heat of the sun and the other continually in icy darkness, we will have a general picture of the description given by most astronomers and physicists. Some observers have actually described the surface of the planet as rocky, jagged and barren, with an appearance much like the surface of our moon, only more wild and rugged. However, it is evident from reputable scientists that such descriptions are mere conclusions and theories, since no one has yet been able actually to observe such formations. Indeed it is commonly confessed that because of the smallness of Mercury, its distance from us, and its closeness to the sun, comparatively little accurate information has as yet been obtained.*

* Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1956 edition; Life on Other Worlds, H. Spencer Jones, former Astronomer Royal; The Inhabited Universe , Kenneth W. Gatland; The Secret of Human Life on Other Worlds, A.C. Ferber; current pamphlets and new articles.

The Spirits of Mercury in the Grand Man

With this brief survey before us, let us turn our attention to what Swedenborg learned about the peoples of Mercury through his contacts with them in the other world. It should be remembered, of course, that Swedenborg was never permitted to speak directly with the inhabitants of the planets themselves, but only with the spirits and angels from the planets. And while we are learning of Swedenborg's experiences, and reflecting on the reason for their forming part of the revelation of the Lord's second coming, it should be kept in mind that those experiences were immediately under the Lord's auspices, and that what was written down to form a part of Divine revelation was at the Lord's command.

It was mentioned in our first article that the Lord sees the heavens and the hells from all the planets in the universe in the form of a Grand Man - a Grand Man of uses wherein each individual human being has a specific and distinct function to perform. We noted that the particular nature and genius of the spirits from each planet serve a use in the Grand Man to which there corresponds an organ of the body, or a faculty or function of the human form. We mentioned that the spirits and angels from this earth, for example, serve those uses to which what is exterior - the skin and the external portions of the body - corresponds. In regard to the spirits and angels of Mercury we are taught that they bear relation in the Grand Man of heaven to the memory, especially to the memory of things that are abstracted from what is earthly and merely material. (AC 6696, 6808, 6921)  We will see shortly how intimately their function in the Grand Man relates to the nature of the character and life of these people. It is said that they serve the use of constantly enriching the memory of the Grand Man, and that in order to perform this function they are allowed to wander about, visiting the different heavens, hells and worlds of spirits from all the earths in the universe. (AC 6696, 6925) We would conclude from this that the good spirits and angels of Mercury in their contact with other peoples act as a means of inspiring an orderly delight in the learning of knowledges that are above what is earthly and material; inspiring particularly, therefore, a delight in acquiring knowledges of the Lord and His kingdom.

Mercurian Characteristics

Let us turn now to what is said concerning the character of these people from Mercury. They are described as having a constant thirst for acquiring those knowledges that are above the worldly and material planes. In the other world this thirst leads them to wander about into different areas and among different spirits, always striving to learn new things. When they approach a new society, or even an individual angel or spirit, they wish to know everything that he knows - except for any knowledge he may have of material things. Even while they live on their earth, they have this great desire to acquire knowledge - knowledge of what is above and beyond nature, such as the laws and statutes which form the government of human society. The truths which direct and govern the steps of reformation and regeneration, and all the countless things relating to the nature formation and operation of the Lord's kingdom in the other world. The pursuit of such knowledge so occupies their time and attention that they give little thought to the things of bodily life. (AC 6810-6812, 7076; EU 29)

Swedenborg was permitted to be present with the spirits and angels from Mercury for a number of months. (AC 6695) In one of his experiences with them we are given a good idea of the nature of the knowledges in the learning of which they find delight.

They once came to me and searched the things in my memory. (This spirits can do with the utmost skill; for when they come to a man, they see in his memory everything that he knows.) When therefore the spirits of Mercury searched out various things, and among others the cities and places where I had been, I observed that they did not wish to know about the churches, palaces, houses and streets; but only what I knew to have been done in these places, and also matters relating to the government there, and to the genius and manners of the inhabitants, with other things like these; for such things cling to the places that are in man's memory, and therefore when the places are excited, these other things also come up. I wondered at this character of the spirits of Mercury, and I therefore asked why they passed by the magnificent features of the places, and only searched out the facts and doings there? They said that they have no delight in looking at material, bodily and earthly things, but only at real ones. (AC 6809)

In another passage we are taught that the spirits of Mercury have such an aversion to things purely material that they tend to dislike even such things as the external form of verbal speech. (AC 6814) When first told about the use of writing and printing in our world, they were not only unimpressed but thought that such modes of communication were purely external and undesirable, yet in keeping with the nature of the people of this earth; and they even told Swedenborg that they thought the manner in which he was writing was very gross, and that nearly all of the expressions he used appeared as it were material. ( EU 28; AC 6929) The Mercurians have a saying that "they love what is drawn out from things material, and that they do not desire to look at the sheath, but at things stripped of their sheath, thus at interior things. (AC 6816, 6928)

In spite of the great desire of the Mercurians to learn knowledges abstracted from what is earthly and material they nevertheless manifest very many worldly and non-heavenly states. Many of them appear to be rather immature and to give little evidence of having rational judgment. With the same quickness with which they are able to read the contents of the memories of other spirits and angels they judge concerning the actions and states of others, and this often with poor judgment and little perception. (AC 6923, 6814) The Writings explain that while the Mercurians are continually increasing in the knowledge of things, many of them are not inclined to increase in the wisdom which should be formed from knowledges because they devote their entire interest and attention to the means, that is, the acquisition of knowledges, and not to the end, that is, the use of knowledge in their lives. (AC 6913, 7073; EU 29) Because many of them do not think of the reason for their acquiring of knowledge, or, rather, do not pay any attention to it, neither do they care much about drawing conclusions, or reflecting on the knowledges they learn that they might judge wisely. Therefore it is said that they are little distinguished for their judgment. Their lack of reflection and wise judgment is indicated a number of times in Swedenborg's experiences with them. For example, when they were first taught about the use of writing and printing on this planet they made an almost instantaneous judgment about its being merely another external form; but when they were forced to listen to the actual uses that writing and printing could perform they then had to change their minds. (AC 6814; EU 17, 28) A number of times they showed a great deal of impatience, even anger, with Swedenborg. Once while he was writing something about the future and was unwilling to read it to them they quickly became indignant, and, contrary to their usual behavior, they wished to inveigh against him, saying that he was one of the worst of men. Another time they became angry because Swedenborg was allowed to have certain knowledges which they did not have; not realizing that this was of the Lord, not of Swedenborg. (SD 3289; AC 6811; EU 13)

Because of the knowledges they amass, the spirits of Mercury tend to be conceited and falsely proud. They suppose they know so many things that it is scarcely possible to know anything else. They even tend to despise others in comparison with themselves, to esteem themselves as of superior intelligence. Many of them, when instructed by the spirits and angels of our earth that there are many things, indeed relatively infinite things, which they do not know, were struck with amazement, another indication of their childlike states, and then began to humble themselves. Others, however, when told of their unseemly pride and elation of mind, answered that it was not pride but only a glorying in their faculty of memory, and thus they merely excused their faults. (AC 6813, 70770; SD 3239; EU 16)

We would note here that it was spirits and angels from our earth who were instructing those from Mercury. The question arises as to why this should have been, considering the external nature of our people and the many terrible references to the people of our earth made by spirits from other earths. There are many things involved here which we would rather enter into when we discuss the nature of this earth in our final article. However, two important facts may be noted at this time. First, the Last Judgment had not yet taken place. Swedenborg's experiences with spirits who had been inhabitants of other planets all occurred prior to the Last Judgment in 1757. They occurred, therefore, while the lower heavens and the world of spirits from our earth had reached the climax of their states of disorder. The truths of the Lord's second coming were just beginning to have an effect in the lower heavens and in the world of spirits, although it would appear that they had already been received in the higher heavens. (AC 6928, 7077; EU 27) Indeed it was from the higher heavens from our earth that these spirits of Mercury were being instructed. Second, apart from a number of years immediately preceding the Last Judgment, there seems to have been little or no communication between the spirits from our earth and the spirits from other earths. The statements and comments about the nature of spirits from our earth made to Swedenborg by other spirits seem to have been based on fairly recent contacts. But we will enter into this more thoroughly in a later article.

Worship among the Mercurians

Not a great deal is said in the Writings about the nature and form of Divine revelation with the people of Mercury. As is the case with every earth in the universe except ours, there is no written Word. Divine truths are revealed through a communication with spirits and angels similar to that through which the Most Ancient Church on our earth received revelation from the Lord. This is done according to families, with the head or father of the family unit receiving instruction through conversations with spirits and angels while in sleep, and also through seeing visions of life in the other world while in sleep. (AC 6810, 9358)

It would seem, however, that everyone receives a certain perception of the truth of a matter and that this perception acts as a means of encouraging them to learn. The elders, who instruct others, do not pour forth everything they know about a certain subject, but skillfully present their information in such a way as to arouse further curiosity on the part of the student. They do this by cleverly holding back certain important parts of the instruction, thus inspiring the student with the desire to learn more of the subject. (EU 35) It is noted that their associate spirits also deliberately introduce false ideas at times, and that they do this so that truth may afterwards appear in clearer light. This is, of course, in keeping with the general teaching of the Writings that all truth appears relatively to its opposite. Seeing the nature and quality of falsity in contrast to the nature and quality of truth makes the truth more clearly defined and its message more powerful. (AC 7975)

The people of Mercury believe that the Lord is the only God and they think of Him as being in the human form. They did not know until near the time of the Last Judgment that the Lord had been born on our earth and that He had assumed the Human and made it Divine. They told Swedenborg that a promise had once been made to the people of Mercury that they should see the Lord. When Swedenborg inquired as to the specific nature of this promise, they could not provide any details except that it had been given. Some of the spirits of Mercury were permitted to see the Lord as He appeared in the spiritual sun. They first said that this was not the Lord because He had no face. Then they saw a more definite image of the Lord's Human in the sun, and they were assured by spirits from our earth that this really was the Lord. (AC 7173)

Something more of the Mercurians' inclination to conceit because of their own learning and intelligence, and the relative immaturity of their wisdom, is manifested in their attitude to the peoples of our earth. After they had learned the general character of the spirits from this earth they shunned them, not wanting to have anything to do with them because of their external and worldly nature. They wondered whether any such people could possibly become angels; and then it was told them that although earth-men were so external, nevertheless, because they had the knowledges of the Word, they would actually come into a light higher than that in which the Mercurians were, if they used those knowledges. The Mercurians found this hard to believe, even after being instructed that it was so by an angel. Finally they had to believe it, however, when they were told that the very angel who had been instructing them was from this earth. (AC 6928, 7077; EU 27)

Life on the Planet Mercury

As to their physical form and appearance, the people of Mercury appear to be almost like us. They are about the same height as we are, but their bodies are more slender and their faces somewhat smaller. A Mercurian woman whom Swedenborg saw had a beautiful face and was simply dressed. Her clothing and her headdress, a linen cap, were put on without art and yet in a becoming manner. We would judge from their character, and from this very brief description, that the people of Mercury, while not careless or sloppy about their dress and appearance, pay little heed to anything beyond what is necessary to wellbeing and comfort. (AC 7175)

They live in families, much as did the ancient people of our earth, in a rural kind of life. It is noted that they have cows and oxen much like those on our earth, only smaller and in some respects resembling a kind of deer. (AC 9793)

Nothing is said about the nature of their dwellings, nor of their surroundings. Probably their dwellings are rather simple, for such is the case on other planets. Whatever are the details of their physical existence, this much we do know: they do not have the sciences, arts and crafts that are known on this earth. Nor does it seem that they would ever want to have them, for the nature of their character is such as to lead them away from external things. Their only science is the science of knowledges abstracted from what is earthly and material. It would be utterly inconceivable to think of these people building space-ships. (AC 9793) So much do they abhor what is earthly and material that, immediately after death, many of them wish that they did not have a physical body, but could appear as a crystal ball or something else that could be seen through almost as if it did not have substantial form. (AC 7175) Such thoughts, of course, are changed as they are prepared for heaven.

The Writings do tell us that the natural sun appears much larger from Mercury than it does from our earth. They say also that the inhabitants live in a medium temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. (AC 7177) How are we to align such a statement with what has been said previously about the temperatures which science believes to exist on Mercury? Nothing unusual is said about these people to indicate that they are given special protection of any kind, such as heat-resistant skin or a heavy layer of blubber. The Writings do, however, make this statement:

"It was so provided of the Lord in regard to them that they should not be exposed to too much heat by reason of their greater nearness to the sun, inasmuch as heat does not arise from the sun's nearness, but from the altitude and density of the atmosphere, as appears from the cold on high mountains even in hot climates; also that heat is varied according to the direct or oblique incidence of the sun's rays, as is plain from the seasons of summer and winter in every region." (EU 45)

We believe that it might well be concluded, as has been done by A. C. Ferber, that the area on Mercury where people live is the belt where the two extremes of heat and cold meet. In such a belt the rays of the sun would be slanted, as the Writings indicate, thus partially moderating the intensity of the suns heat; and this, coupled with the cooling effect from the cold side of Mercury, could give an area with moderate and livable temperatures. At first scientists thought that such an area would be too small to support human life, and most of them still think this; but in 1889 the now famous Italian astronomer, Giovanni Schiaparelli, noted that this marginal area might be larger than had been thought. He noted that as Mercury moves quickly about the sun it teeters or rocks slowly back and forth. This swaying motion, now called "libration," would provide a livable strip of ground about one-fourth the size of Mercury's total area.

Conclusion

Such observations and conclusions are useful, and we have no doubt that they will continually provide more and more evidence to confirm the teachings of the Writings. However, our main purpose in these articles is to examine what the Lord has revealed of the inhabited universe as a reflected image of the Lord's infinite power, infinite wisdom, and infinite love; to see a creation ordered under the government of the Divine love and wisdom, with every part thereof contributing to the universal Divine purpose. In seeing the distinct and individual human qualities of the peoples of Mercury, we enter into something of a new and greater concept of the Lord's creation - a concept that helps us to understand better the relationship of human uses, and how those uses form the basis of all the states of individual angelic life in the Grand Man.

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