36.6  The passage of the beings through the animal kingdom and the devil-human state
Above the staircase figure we see a multicoloured oblong figure that covers the whole width of the symbol. We know the colours as indications of the various basic energies by means of which the spiral cycle is divided into the six kingdoms: the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom, the kingdom of wisdom, the divine world and the kingdom of bliss, whose reflection is cast onto the physical plane as that which we call the mineral kingdom. From here the spiral cycle continues in the plant kingdom on the right, which constitutes the beginning of a new spiral cycle. Once again we must express the kingdoms of the spiral cycle by their colours, the plant kingdom (red colour), the animal kingdom, to which the unfinished human being belongs (orange colour), the finished or perfect human kingdom (yellow colour), the kingdom of wisdom (green colour), the divine world (blue colour) and the kingdom of bliss (light indigo). In every kingdom in the symbol we see a dark and a light round figure. These symbolise the part of the kingdom in question that constitutes its secondary sphere, and the part that constitutes its primary sphere. The secondary part of the kingdom is the part that is degenerating and is in transition from one kingdom to another. This part is marked by the dark round figure. The primary part, which is increasing and culminating, is marked by the light round figure. The light figure in the plant kingdom on the left symbolises this kingdom at the peak of its manifestation. Here the substances of the mineral kingdom are transformed so as to become vegetable in nature or that which we call the plant kingdom. The plant being is double-poled. In the next half of the plant kingdom, marked by the dark round figure, it begins to go over to the one-poled state and the killing principle, becoming a carnivorous plant. Here it is therefore no longer a purely plant being. It is growing and developing towards the consciousness or psyche of the animal. The light round figure in the animal kingdom marks its sphere of evolution as a pure animal. The dark round figure on the right of the section now indicates the sphere for the beginnings of the transformation of the animal into a human being. At the same time as this, the ordinary animal consciousness degenerates, but with this the being does not yet leave the killing principle. On the contrary, this principle reaches its real culmination or ultimate state of development only in the degenerated animal, which is the same as the unfinished human being. With the beginnings of human abilities, the animal principle in the human being has developed fully towards the multiple possibilities for killing and destroying afforded by atomic and nuclear weapons.
      These first incipient human abilities are: intelligence and primitive feeling, hate, intolerance, jealousy, envy and similar inhumane and deadly feelings. Since no effective humaneness or neighbourly love whatsoever as yet exists in such beings, but on the contrary only the sexual love that we call amorous love, the incipient intelligence develops the beings' animal drive for self-preservation to colossal dimensions, since these beings, by virtue of this intelligence, are able to create weapons through which, as previously mentioned, they have been able to multiply their ability to kill and destroy, and thereby their power to attack and defend themselves against both wild animals and their own fellow beings. Since they still did not have the primary human mentality, which is neighbourly love, and thus still have merely animal mentality, they cannot of course use the incipient human intelligence in any way other than in the service of their animal mentality and way of being. And is this not precisely the same situation that people find themselves in today, here in our twentieth century? Is the mankind of the Earth not simply expert at creating increasingly effective, murderous and totally destructive weapons of war or machines of hell in the form of the above-mentioned atomic and nuclear weapons? To this must be added the use of chemical poisons and killing agents. Is mankind not literally expert at using torture and gas chambers and other manifestations of hell and refined contraptions for destroying, mutilating and torturing its neighbour to death? And today this situation tortures our otherwise so beautiful and wonderful planet in space. The beings, with the above-mentioned incipient human abilities and their as yet animal disposition or mentality, become over-dimensioned animals that can rightfully be termed nothing other than devil-human beings.