Mesmeric Revelation by Edgar Allan Poe
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which_is, nevertheless, so slight as to_have_been quite overlooked by_the sagacity even of Newton . we_know that_the resistance of bodies is, chiefly, in proportion to_their density .Absolute coalescence is absolute density .Where there_are no interspaces, there can_be no yielding .An ether, absolutely dense, would put an infinitely more effectual stop to_the progress of astar than would an ether of adamant or of iron .

V .Your objection is answered with an ease which_is nearly in_the ratio of_its apparent unanswerability .- As regards the progress of_the star, it can make no difference whether the star passes through_the ether or the ether through it . there_is no astronomical error more unaccountable than that which reconciles the known retardation of_the comets with_the idea of_their passage through an ether: for, however rare this ether be supposed, it would put astop to all sidereal revolution in avery far briefer period than has_been admitted by_those astronomers who_have endeavored to slur over apoint which they found it impossible to comprehend .The retardation actually experienced is, on_the other hand, about_that which might_be expected from_the friction of_the ether in_the instantaneous passage through_the orb . in_the one case, the retarding force is momentary and complete within itself - in_the other it_is endlessly accumulative .

P .But in all this - in_this identification of mere matter with God - is_there nothing of irreverence ? [_I was forced to repeat this question before_the sleep-waker fully comprehended my meaning .]

V . can_you say why matter should_be less reverenced than mind ? But you forget that_the matter of_which I speak is, in all respects, the very "mind" or "spirit" of_the schools, so_far as regards its high capacities, and_is, moreover, the "matter" of_these schools at_the same time .God, with all the powers attributed to spirit, is but the perfection of matter .

P .You assert, then, that_the unparticled matter, in motion, is thought ?

V .In general, this motion is_the universal thought of_the universal mind .This thought creates .All created things are but the thoughts of God .

P .You say, "in general ."

V .Yes .The universal mind is God .For new individualities, _matter is necessary .

P .But you now speak of "mind" and "matter" as do_the metaphysicians .

V .Yes - to avoid confusion .When I_say "mind," I mean the unparticled or ultimate matter ; by "matter," I intend all else .

P .You were saying that "for new individualities matter is necessary ."

V .Yes ; for mind, existing unincorporate, is merely God .To create individual, thinking beings, it_was necessary to incarnate portions of_the divine mind .Thus man is individualized .Divested of corporate investiture, he were God .Now, the particular motion of_the incarnated portions of_the unparticled matter is_the thought of man ; as_the motion of_the whole is_that of God .

P .You say that divested of_the body man will_be God ?

V .[_After much hesitation .] I_could_not have said this ; it_is an absurdity .

P .[_Referring to my notes .] you_did say that "divested of corporate investiture man were God ."

V .And this_is true .Man thus divested would_be God - would_be unindividualized .But he_can never be thus divested - at_least never will_be - else we_must imagine an action of God returning upon itself - apurposeless and futile action .Man is acreature .Creatures are thoughts of God . it_is_the nature of thought to_be irrevocable .

P . I_do_not comprehend .You say that man will never put off the body ?

V . I_say that he_will never be bodiless .

P .Explain .

V . there_are two bodies - the rudimental and_the complete ; corresponding with_the two conditions of_the worm and_the butterfly .What we call "death," is but the painful metamorphosis .Our present incarnation is progressive, preparatory, temporary .Our future is perfected, ultimate, immortal .The ultimate life is_the full design .

P .But of_the worm's metamorphosis we_are palpably cognizant .

V .We_, certainly - but not the worm .The matter of_which our rudimental body is composed, is within_the ken of_the organs of_that body ; or, more distinctly, our rudimental organs are adapted to_the matter of which_is formed the rudimental body ; but not to_that of_which the ultimate is composed .The ultimate body thus escapes our rudimental senses, and we perceive only the shell which falls, in decaying, from_the inner form ; not that inner form itself ; but this inner form, as_well as_the shell, is appreciable by_those who_have already acquired the ultimate life .

P . you_have often said that_the mesmeric state very nearly resembles death .How is_this ?

V .When I_say that_it resembles death, I mean that_it resembles the ultimate life ; for when I_am entranced the senses of_my rudimental life are in abeyance, and I perceive external things directly, without organs, through amedium which I_shall employ in_the ultimate, unorganized life .

P .Unorganized ?

V .Yes ; organs are contrivances by_which the individual is brought into sensible relation with particular classes and forms of matter, to_the exclusion of other classes and forms .The organs of man are adapted to_his rudimental condition, and to_that only ; his ultimate condition, being unorganized, is of unlimited comprehension in all points but one - the nature of_the volition of God - that_is_to_say, the motion of_the unparticled matter . you_will_have adistinct idea of_the ultimate body by conceiving it to_be entire brain .This it_is_not ; but aconception of_this nature will bring you near acomprehension of what it_is .aluminous body imparts vibration to_the luminiferous ether .The vibrations generate similar ones within_the retina ; these again communicate similar ones to_the optic nerve .The nerve conveys similar ones to_the brain ; the brain, also, similar ones to_the unparticled matter which permeates it .The motion of_this latter is thought, of_which perception is_the first undulation . this_is_the mode by_which the mind of_the rudimental life communicates with_the external world ; and this external world is, to_the rudimental life, limited, through_the idiosyncrasy of_its organs .But in_the ultimate, unorganized life, the external world reaches the whole body, ( which_is of asubstance having affinity to brain, as I_have said,) with no other intervention than that of an infinitely rarer ether than even the luminiferous ; and to_this ether - in unison with it - the whole body vibrates, setting in motion the unparticled matter which permeates it . it_is to_the absence of idiosyncratic organs, therefore, that we_must attribute the nearly unlimited perception of_the ultimate life .To rudimental beings, organs are the cages necessary to confine them until fledged .

P .You speak of rudimental "beings ." Are there other rudimental thinking beings than man ?

V .The multitudinous conglomeration of rare matter into nebul, planets, suns, and other bodies which are neither nebul, suns, nor planets, is for_the sole purpose of supplying pabulum for_the idiosyncrasy of_the organs of an infinity of rudimental beings .But for_the necessity of_the rudimental, prior to_the ultimate life, there would_have_been no bodies such as_these .Each of_these is tenanted by adistinct variety of organic, rudimental, thinking creatures .In all, the organs vary with_the features of_the place tenanted .At death, or metamorphosis, these creatures, enjoying the ultimate life - immortality - and cognizant of all secrets but the one_, act all things and pass everywhere by mere volition: - indwelling, not the stars, which to_us seem the sole palpabilities, and for_the accommodation of_which we blindly deem space created - but that SPACE itself - that infinity of_which the truly substantive vastness swallows up the star-shadows -- blotting them out as non-entities from_the perception of_the angels .

P .You say that "but for_the necessity of_the rudimental life" there would_have_been no stars .But why this necessity ?

V . in_the inorganic life, as_well as in_the inorganic matter generally, there_is nothing to impede the action of one simple _unique law - the Divine Volition . with_the view of producing impediment, the organic life and matter, (complex, substantial, and law-encumbered,) were contrived .

P .But again - why need this impediment have_been produced ?

V .The result of law inviolate is perfection - right - negative happiness .The result of law violate is imperfection, wrong, positive pain . through_the impediments afforded by_the number, complexity, and substantiality of_the laws of organic life and matter, the violation of law is rendered, to acertain extent, practicable .Thus pain, which in_the inorganic life is impossible, is possible in_the organic .

P .But to what good end is pain thus rendered possible ?

V .All things are either good or bad by comparison .asufficient analysis will show that pleasure, in all cases, is but the contrast of pain .Positive pleasure is amere idea . to_be happy at any_one point we_must_have suffered at_the same .Never to suffer would_have_been never to_have_been blessed .But it_has_been shown that, in_the inorganic life, pain cannot_be thus the necessity for_the organic .The pain of_the primitive life of Earth, is_the sole basis of_the bliss of_the ultimate life in Heaven .

P .Still, there_is one of your expressions which I_find it impossible to comprehend - "the truly substantive vastness of infinity ."

V .This, probably, is because you_have no sufficiently generic conception of_the term "_substance_" itself . we_must not regard it as aquality, but as asentiment: - it_is_the perception, in thinking beings, of_the adaptation of matter to_their organization . there_are many things on_the Earth, which would_be nihility to_the inhabitants of Venus - many things visible and tangible in Venus, which we_could_not be brought to appreciate as existing at all .But to_the inorganic beings - to_the angels - the whole of_the unparticled matter is substance - that_is_to_say, the whole of what we term "space" is to_them the truest substantiality ; - the stars, meantime, through what we consider their materiality, escaping the angelic sense, just in proportion as_the unparticled matter, through what we consider its immateriality, eludes the organic .

as_the sleep-waker pronounced these latter words, in afeeble tone, I observed on_his countenance asingular expression, which somewhat alarmed me, and induced me to awake him at once .No sooner had I done this, than, with abright smile irradiating all his features, he fell back upon his pillow and expired .I noticed that in less_than aminute afterward his corpse had all the stern rigidity of stone .His brow was of_the coldness of ice .Thus, ordinarily, should it have appeared, only after long pressure from Azrael's hand .Had the sleep-waker, indeed, during the latter portion of_his discourse, been addressing me from out the region of_the shadows ?

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