20.10  Symbol no. 20 symbolises the development of the faculty of humaneness and the ensuing liberation from returning dark karma or fate. It is this liberation from dark karma that constitutes the real or absolute forgiveness of sins. The area between the two vertical, thick, white lines symbolises the being's present physical life. The violet area here merely reminds us of the being's superconsciousness and its ensuing eternal life. The areas to the left of the part symbolising the present life signify the being's past, while all the areas to the right of the present life symbolise the being's future. The orange-coloured areas between the white areas symbolise reincarnation or the being's succession of physical terrestrial lives. The white areas between these physical terrestrial lives symbolise the being's spiritual lives between the physical incarnations or terrestrial lives. The green area to the right of the present life symbolises the being's future lives while the yellow area to the left symbolises the being's past lives. The orange-coloured staircase figure symbolises the being's single terrestrial life as one step in evolution. Thus all the terrestrial lives together form a ladder of evolution for the being, a ladder in which each terrestrial life constitutes a step. The being thus evolves from terrestrial life to terrestrial life until its stage of completion, where it attains total cosmic consciousness and no longer needs to incarnate in physical matter.