Martinus: Livets Bog, vol. 5, sect. 1799

1799. After this deadly mental frost and coldness, after this culmination of the winter zone in the spiral cycle of terrestrial mankind, spring must thus follow just as it absolutely inevitably does in all other physical and mental cycles of life. Indeed, we have long since experienced in the course of our history and in our present reality the first mental breezes that herald the arrival of spring. We know these winds of spring as all forms of humane movements, such as religion and politics, that bring neighbourly love more or less into the culture and life of society. Despite this ability to kill, despite world wars, the destruction of culture and the breakdown of society, there are, indeed, extraordinary great tendencies within the psyche of mankind that combat the mentality of war, just as almost all incipient civilised human beings are tired of war and want lasting peace. In addition to being reflected in religion and politics, they manifest themselves in other forms too, such as philanthropic organisations, international "Red Cross movements", which have taken upon themselves the task of helping the sick and wounded during war, regardless of whether they be friend or foe, criminal or saint, regardless of nation, race, religion and politics. They are a corps whose motto is "Compassion in war and peace". Thus we meet to an increasing extent the world redeemer's "good Samaritan" in flesh and blood, in actual fact or reality. Where the mentality of war does not have the upper hand but has temporarily stagnated or been restrained, we always see an enormous blossoming of culture, an improvement or a raising of people's standard of living. In many cases and situations social conditions that are as yet unfinished and unjust are remedied. Large schools with very well trained teachers are set up, providing access to free education, indeed, even to free meals and so on. Relief institutions are established for people who are in need, and who have become disabled or destitute. Old people's homes and care for the elderly are established, quite apart from all the other cultural assets that are representative of a civilised state, such as good, light housing; clean, hygienic conditions; hospital, medical, police and fire services; good means of communication and road systems and so on. There are, so to speak, no limits to this development, provided that there was never any war or revolutions. This thus means that the spring of the spiral cycle would actually be complete and that winter would be over, if societies no longer had warring tendencies. These tendencies, that is the frost and coldness of mental winter, are not yet sufficiently far removed. Terrestrial mankind has not yet come sufficiently far into the cosmic year for spring to be able to prevail. We are, as previously mentioned, in the spiral cycle's very first tentative awakening of spring.