24.  The spirits of the earth Mercury do not tarry in one place, or among assemblies of the spirits of one system, but wander through the universe.  The reason is that they have reference to the memory of things, which requires to be continually enriched; therefore it is granted them to wander about, and everywhere acquire knowledges.  If, while travelling in this manner, they meet with spirits who love material, that is, corporeal and terrestrial things, they shun them, and betake themselves to where they do not hear such things.  From this it may appear that their mind (animus) is elevated above sensual things, and thus that they are in interior light (lumen).  This it was also given me actually to perceive when they were near me and were speaking with me.  I observed then that I was withdrawn from sensual things to such a degree, that the light (lumen) of my eyes began to grow dull and dim.

25.  The spirits of that earth go about by companies and phalanxes, and when assembled together they form as it were a globe.  They are joined together in this manner by the Lord in order that they may act as a one, and that the knowledges of each may be communicated to all, and the knowledges of all to each, as is the case in heaven[l].  That they wander through the universe in quest of the knowledges of things, was made manifest to me also from this fact, that once, when they appeared very remote from me, they spoke with me from thence, and said that they were then gathered together, and were going beyond the sphere of this system into the starry heaven, where they knew there were such as had no concern about terrestrial and corporeal things, but about things elevated above them, with whom they desired to be.  It was stated that they themselves do not know whither they are going, but that under the Divine auspices they are conveyed to where they may be instructed concerning such things as they had previously been unacquainted with, and which are in agreement with the knowledges they already possess.  It was also stated that they do not know how they meet with the companions with whom they are conjoined, and that this also is effected under the Divine auspices.

26.  As they journey through the universe in this manner, and are thus enabled to know more than others about the systems and earths beyond the sphere of our solar system, I have spoken with them on this subject also.  They said that in the universe there are very many earths, with human beings upon them; and that they wonder at its being supposed by some, whom they called men of little judgment, that the heaven of the Omnipotent God consists only of the spirits and angels who come from one earth, when these are so few that, relatively to the Omnipotence of God, they are scarcely anything, and this would be the case even if there were myriads of systems with myriads of earths.  They said, moreover, that they knew of the existence of earths in the universe exceeding in number some hundreds of thousands; and yet what is this to the Divine, who is Infinite!