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| See symbol no. 4 in new window |
| The explanation of the symbol itself. Terrestrial humanity's intolerance as an obstruction of the world impulse. The Earth in a destructive fire maintained by every single individual's hatred and anger. "Love one another" or this great commandment's twelve points as fire-extinguishing water on this conflagration. The good soil. The good seed. The way to Truth and life. The entrance to a transfigured existence, to a life together with the eternal Godhead |
170. In symbol No. 4 we observe a brilliant body sending out its rays into the universe.
As in Symbol No. 2, this body symbolises the Divine Creative Principle, and the rays symbolise the cosmic world impulses.
But in order to express the relationship between these impulses and intolerance, we have to arrange them in Symbol No. 4 in a slightly different way from that used in Symbol No. 2.
Whereas the impulses in Symbol No. 2 are shown to be radiating in rings, in No. 4 they go out in straight clusters of rays of light.
Each cluster of rays thus expresses a world impulse.
On the right side of the symbol we see the Earth.
The cluster of rays immediately below the Earth expresses the old world impulse, while the cluster of rays passing above it expresses the new world impulse.
Both of these impulses are parts of the light radiation from the Divine Creative Principle and thus represent love energy.
On looking more closely at the directions of those impulses in the symbol, we observe that they would hit the Earth and completely envelop it if, on their way, they did not run into an obstruction.
This obstruction is terrestrial mankind's intolerance.
As we have been told already, terrestrial people have to be divided into two groups according to whether they belong to the old or the new world impulse.
We have named these two groups "Group A" and "Group B".
As in Symbol No. 3 these two groups are shown on Symbol No. 4 as two stars.
So, the upper star expresses Group A, that is, human beings receptive to the new world impulse, while the lower star expresses Group B, or human beings still influenced by the old world impulse.
From a number of those under the influence of the old world impulse - as we have understood through the different categories - a certain current of intolerance will be sent out, directed especially towards the people who have matured enough to belong to the new world impulse; in the same way, some of the latter will also send out a current of intolerance, largely aimed at those influenced by the old world impulse.
This is symbolised by the two orange-coloured radiations coming from the stars.
If these two radiations of intolerance were given a free rein - as shown in the picture - they would be able to shut out from the Earth the world impulses and any higher spiritual energy and forces of love.
The Earth would then be ruled by factors which would rapidly lead to its complete destruction.
On the symbol these factors have been expressed as fire.
But, thanks to the divine world plan, the impulses of love are now so strong, and the Earth so advanced in its development, that such a drastic conclusion can definitely not take place.
However, this must not lead us to imagine that the world is entirely out of danger or outside the influence of this conflagration - on the contrary, our Earth finds itself to a great extent in consuming flames.
And this destructive fire is supplied with fuel and maintained by each individual's intolerance, anger and indignation, lower animal tendencies and all such manifestations which are against internationalism or the common interest, and are in opposition to unselfishness and sacrifice.
This fire, which is now over the Earth, consists in reality of everything coming under the concept of "suffering", such as war, bodily mutilation, accidents, poverty, hunger, unemployment, illness and death-dealing cataclysms.
As all these factors constitute the flames in that fire, it must be clear to many that it is actually nothing less than a blazing conflagration which is engulfing the Earth.
And each single individual is therefore more or less assisting in keeping the fire blazing, all according to his manifestations of selfishness and intolerance, just the same as he is more or less taking part in carrying "water" for extinguishing the fire according to his manifestations of unselfishness and tolerance.
In the preceding chapter we have pointed out those factors which are especially "inflammable" or of a fire-conserving nature, as well as those especially suited as water on that fire.
The inflammable factors are, of course, rooted in much too strong a condition for the prospering of selfishness within the life of the community, while the fire-extinguishing water, on the contrary, is concentrated in all those factors included in the fulfilment of that great commandment: "Love one another", as defined in the twelve points mentioned in a previous chapter.
So every individual today can actually participate, through his behaviour, in keeping that fire alight and, in doing so, actively participate in burning up everything we call culture and social order, art and progress, peace and happiness. But through his behaviour, the individual can also today take part in extinguishing the fire, and in so doing carry terrestrial mankind forward nearer to perfection, towards spirit, culture and love, towards the Great Birth and resurrection into the true life. So the sole main factor in the individual's fire-extinguishing work can be nothing other than his own his surroundings, even though he might possess an impressive fund of knowledge, either experienced or learned from other people. His manifestations of theoretical influence on others are thus only a subsidiary factor compared with his practical behaviour. It should therefore be understood that one's true area of work is only where one can please and inspire one's fellow men with one's knowledge and behaviour, and that definitely there alone can be sown the seeds of wisdom and love. Only there is the good ground which repays a hundredfold. All deviations will be more or less bad soil, and, therefore, can only give more or less stunted results - and these can hardly be worthy representatives of that higher form of consciousness which the Earth has now been initiated to meet. The only way to attain the Great Birth is thus to devote one's life to creating a mode of behaviour in which one's footsteps show only peace, light and love for all fellow beings. This is the way to Truth and to Life. It is the entrance to an enlightened existence, to a life together with the eternal Godhead. |
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