667. Since every phenomenon in itself consists of only a rhythm that must be superseded by a new rhythm, which, as we have seen, is in fact the same as a "season" in a cycle that must be superseded by a new "season", everything is therefore in itself a cycle or a part of a cycle. In the same way, the abnormal angle of the Earth's axis is also just a rhythm or "season" in one of its cycles of fate, and will be superseded by a new rhythm or "season" in that cycle. One should not, however, expect the Earth's organism, during the present physical incarnation of the Earth's I, to be subjected to such a violent shock that its axis will suddenly be brought back to its normal position in the Earth's orbit around the sun. Such a gigantic catastrophe, as far as the Earth is concerned, can no longer take place. If the Earth's axis could ever return to a vertical position in relation to its orbit, it could come about only in a way that would be almost imperceptible to its microbeings, a way that would take millions and millions of years to complete. Its disability is therefore in a way chronic. But since the effects of the disability have not been so great that they have prevented its human microbeings from being able to eliminate them artificially, at the same time as they have sufficient resources such as electricity, fuel and building materials etc. with which to create a constant protection against these effects so that even a "truly human" form of existence can later on become possible here, a sudden shift of the axis is totally unnecessary. Indeed, it would even be an extremely dangerous kind of "operation", which could easily entail quite a new and even more dangerous form of disability. And this disability would become all the more dangerous, as it would not only cause great physical injury to the Earth's microbeings but would also be a serious intellectual or mental enfeeblement of the Earth itself, since its human micro-individuals collectively constitute the main or most important organ for its physical mentality, indeed they are the very seat of its physical day-consciousness, and these beings are now to a great extent to be found in all parts of the world with the exception of the polar regions, which do not actually belong to the Earth's animal or more noble parts but to its skeletal or cartilaginous areas. A sudden and thereby violent or brutal displacement of the axis would therefore inevitably bring with it consequences so catastrophic that not only would forms of life over entire continents perish, but entire centres of human culture would also be wiped out. Violent storms, earthquakes and floods, partly as a result of the melting icy regions at the poles, would spread death, terror and annihilation throughout other continents. The cultural forces that have been built up and the first beginnings of a future, higher, humane world culture would disappear in this Armageddon. A quite different and inferior mankind would then have to incarnate on Earth. There would not be the same conditions for a gradual continuation along a path of evolution like the one its present mankind is subject to. If the axis were to fall back to its normal angle, the Earth would admittedly be in a perfect relationship to the sun, whereby its sharply contrasting seasons would almost disappear and as a result a kind of paradisiacal state would once again be brought about on its continents, but such paradisiacal living conditions would be suitable for only primitive inhabitants of the paradisiacal South Sea Islands. And if the Earth were to be populated with such beings this would constitute a backwards step. These beings would not be on a level with the average mentality of the mankind that now inhabits the Earth, and furthermore they would be entirely prevented from reaching this average mentality on account of the perfect positioning of the Earth's axis in the system. It would therefore be a fact that the Earth being would have become, both physically and mentally, a lesser being after the change of axis than it was before.
      But for a being's acquired experiences, talents and abilities to be suddenly taken away from it, leaving it in a state as if it had never possessed these things or experienced them, would be the same as if they had been totally in vain. The Earth's I's entire experience of the shifting of its axis would have been illogical, a state that is completely impossible in the universe. Thus, it becomes clear that any "sudden" return of the Earth's axis to its original position is absolutely impossible.
      One might also of course claim that if the axis returned to its normal position, the Earth would have the conditions for an incarnation of a finished or true mankind in its organism. And of course it would. But what about terrestrial mankind? This mankind has become totally accustomed, both physically and mentally, to thinking, acting and creating in conformity with the artificial basis of life that they themselves have built up, and as a result they have already come so far in the development of a truly human mentality, that is to say in humaneness and love, that such a violent catastrophe, as would be caused by a "sudden" alteration of axis, could not avoid affecting human beings, who have long since grown beyond such a fate. But as no beings can be subjected to a fate they have grown beyond, a "sudden" return of the Earth's axis to its original position will be, as we have already said, an impossibility. Every evolutionary step has its own limitations regarding fate. A being in the "divine world" cannot be struck by physical accident, just as a being belonging to the physical plane's zone of murder and mutilation cannot be overshadowed by the "holy spirit" or "cosmic consciousness". Every state of consciousness is a stage between the two poles of hatred and love. The nearer one finds oneself to the pole of hatred, the less experience there is of love. And the nearer one finds oneself to the pole of love, the weaker becomes the experience of the effects of hatred. The term, the effects of hatred, is here to be understood as referring to not only such things as mankind's wars, persecutions, quarrels and disagreements between each other, but also to all other forms of deadly or injurious phenomena, such as natural catastrophes, earthquakes, cyclones and hurricanes, also including the gigantic catastrophes that at one time gave rise to the present tilt in the Earth's axis. And, as mentioned before, it is catastrophes such as these that can no longer strike the Earth, since they represent a degree of killing that is much too close to the pole of hatred for it to be able to find expression in the zone where the Earth's organism's most noble parts or most important microbeings, terrestrial human beings, are to be found. Here there are certainly still wars and processes of mutilation caused by these beings themselves, but these phenomena are in themselves not so great that in relation to the Earth's organism they are catastrophic. On the contrary, when seen in this perspective or in the consciousness of the Earth itself, they are mere details in a harmless crisis, a crisis that all beings have to go through in the initial stages of the experience of the "great birth", an experience in which the Earth, as we have mentioned elsewhere in "Livets Bog", is in the process of becoming enveloped. In this state of experiencing it cannot be denied that gigantic catastrophes are impossible. The return of any such drastic waves of fate cannot be reconciled with the level of love that the Earth's organism's most noble microbeings are at present an expression of. Such a catastrophe would go against all the laws of Nature; indeed, it would put the culminating logic of the universe totally to shame. The Earth could, in such a situation in which events led it into one of the aforementioned gigantic catastrophes, very well be fortunate enough to regain its health regarding the tilt of its axis, thus relieving it of the disability it had incurred as a result, but as the human microbeings of the current cultural standard would not find conditions for their manifestation after the catastrophe and would therefore have to cease incarnating on the planet, and beings of a paradisiacal but unintelligent nature would have to take their place, the Earth's organism would as a result of the catastrophe be degraded. As terrestrial human beings in particular are the seat of the mental powers of the Earth's organism, this degradation will also to a corresponding degree be by nature mental. But a mental degradation would be the same as a new disability. Instead of its current physical disability, the Earth would have a mental one. And this is precisely the opposite of what it has been promised.
      It is certainly true that it has been foretold that the Earth's "last days" will reach a culmination of misfortune and suffering, in which the "devil" will rage with all his might, and its mental atmosphere will be with "weeping and gnashing of teeth", but to the organism and mentality of the Earth's I all these phenomena combined are actually nothing other than the aforementioned normal, mental crisis that always occurs in an individual's mentality before it is completely taken into possession by the "holy spirit" or the "great birth". This crisis is actually expressed in the Bible as the "day of judgment". To the consciousness of the Earth's I the "day of judgment" does not therefore mean the creation of a new injury or disability in its organism, but, on the contrary, a mental encounter with itself, an inner assessment of the nature of its being, in favour of a new, and in future better, both physical and mental form of life. It is this new mental and physical form of life that the Bible also refers to as the future "new heaven" and "new earth" respectively. The Earth's I, through its crisis and its encounter with itself, is therefore able to recognise that the state of its consciousness is less perfect, and on the strength of that recognition, is able to judge itself so as to create a happier, more perfect, and therefore more loving, future existence for its micro-individuals. This is the "prodigal son's" final view, his final decision or his last will. This is the final analysis of every higher mental crisis. This is what becomes clear in Jesus' consciousness when in the "Garden of Gethsemane" he exclaims, "Father, not my will, but Thine be done". This is "the judgment of the day of judgment", its essence and culmination. From here the road leads straight to the Father, whose presence is the "new heaven" and "new earth", and whose embrace is love, which in turn is light, happiness and bliss.