39.4  The Earth and the old and new world impulses. Group A and Group B
Looking back at symbol no. 2 (in Livets Bog) at this point would help the reader understand the present symbol. As we have already been informed, this shows the spiritual energies or forces emanating through the universe from "the divine principle of creation". We have also been informed that these energies are released in rhythms and impulses, and that the Earth, which is indicated by the double circle almost in the middle of the symbol, is in direct contact with three such great cosmic world impulses. Thus we see at the bottom an impulse that is just about to disappear from the Earth. The remains of this impulse form the foundation for the religious concepts of primitive people. Next we see another impulse that dominates most of the circle. From this arose the present world religions: Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. Here in Livets Bog we call this impulse, which is now very antiquated, "the old world impulse". Above this in turn we see yet another impulse, which is about to gain a footing. Here in Livets Bog this is called "the new world impulse". In the present symbol we find again the circle or the symbol of the Earth depicted, but here in orange. And the white body that goes through this circle can thus be recognised as an indication of the old world impulse.
      As we have already described, an extraordinarily great number of the people on Earth have outgrown the old world impulse and can thus have their religious life promoted further only by the new world impulse. In the symbol we have indicated these beings, which together constitute Group A and in turn are subdivided into three categories according to their particular state of consciousness, in the form of the three uppermost yellow and green figures on the left. Thus the figures each indicate a being belonging to one of the three specific categories. From the dotted lines we see the figures uniting in a star on the right. This star is thus a symbol for Group A. In the same way we also see the bottom three figures uniting in a star. This star symbolises Group B, and the figures in question indicate the three categories to which all the beings that have not yet outgrown the old world impulse belong, an impulse through which they on the contrary either get or can get all their religious nourishment or have or can have their needs met. Since the yellow colour indicates feeling and the green intelligence, the figures thus demonstrate the mutual combination of these two great factors of consciousness in the beings of the categories in question. As the figures show and as previously mentioned, this combination appears in three different forms. For some beings it thus means equal intelligence and feeling, for others too much feeling in relation to intelligence, and yet others too much intelligence in relation to feeling. This relationship in connection with the particular standard of evolution of the being concerned determines then in turn the identity of this being as belonging to one or other of these categories.