The Eternal World Picture, vol. 4
Explanation of symbol no. 43
43.3 Since it has transpired that several readers of the published first volume of Livets Bog did not seem to realise that this is merely the beginning of a larger work, but had the view that, with the above-mentioned volume, they had before them the whole of Livets Bog, I have considered it useful to give the readers a little, preliminary overview of the above-mentioned work through the present drawing in order to remove this little misunderstanding.
The drawing thus indicates Livets Bog.
Just as this appears in five sections, so will the finished Livets Bog also come to appear in five sections.
Of these the first section in the drawing indicates "the preface", and the next "the introduction".
After that follows the section that in reality constitutes Livets Bog proper.
The next two sections will in the same book be designated "the conclusion" and "the post-script".
The area marked with the dotted lines indicates the unfinished part of Livets Bog, while the finished part (1932) is indicated by the light area.
This consists thus of "the preface" and "the introduction" as well as a chapter of the third section.
And it is thus this finished part that constitutes the published first volume.
By means of this symbol everyone will thus be able to understand that a criticism of or reference to this first volume as constituting the whole book or the collected work will be highly imperfect.
The first volume can of course be criticised only as the first volume, and not as the complete work.
As is evident from the remaining text here in this section of the magazine (see note on p. 139-140), Livets Bog is designed to constitute a work that contains the very highest analyses of life, which in turn contain the analyses of all the remaining predominant problems and laws of existence.
These great analyses constitute fundamentally "a triune principle", through which it becomes a fact for the advanced occultist that the universe constitutes "a living being" or "an eternally existing Godhead".
When I have expressed this principle as "triune", it is due to the fact that its appearance can be defined as three indivisible realities or principles, each constituting a condition of existence for the two others.
In Livets Bog these realities are termed X1, X2 and X3.
Since the basic analysis of every living being shows that it constitutes something of the universe's X1, something of its X2 and something of its X3, and these three principles together constitute precisely the three conditions that are demanded in order that a "something" can appear as "a living being", being indivisible at the same time, the immortality of every living being is likewise established by this as a fact for the developed spiritual researcher.
The identity of the living being with the Godhead or its appearance in this divine likeness is the primary or cardinal point of Livets Bog.
In the symbol the analysis of these three X's is expressed by the three figures that stretch from the triangle in the first section through the entire drawing to the triangle in the last section.
The figure in the middle indicates thus the analysis of X1, the figure at the top indicates the analysis of X2 or the mother energy while the bottom figure indicates the analysis of X3 or "the six basic energies of existence".
In my symbolism the triangle is always a symbol for a living being.
In this case the triangle in the first section of the symbol indicates myself.
I begin thus the great analysis by mentioning the circumstances that enabled me to be my own source and that thereby make Livets Bog a result of my absolutely personal experience.
The analyses go further and indicate in the form of "the preface" the purpose of the creation of Livets Bog; they then in the form of "the introduction" indicate the present and future world situation; the analyses then take us through the seventh chapter into the third section to the really great, principal problems of life and existence in order, by way of the fourth section, to end in the final section with the triangle, which indicates the eternal Godhead, who has been revealed through the great analyses.
The greatest analyses of life confirm or establish as fact the recognition of the existence or presence of the living Godhead, but of course not as a man on a throne or as any figurative or limited artefact that has been constructed theoretically or practically, but on the contrary as an eternal centre or living being shining in all dimensions of love, wisdom, intuition and bliss, a living being in whom we all live, move and have our being.
The introductory text in sections 43.1-2 is reproduced from Martinus' introduction to Livets Bog in the Preface to Livets Bog, vol. 1, sections 7 and 15.
The symbol explanation in section 43.3 comes from Martinus' series of articles in Kosmos entitled "Interpretation of Livets Bog".
It is reproduced from Kosmos 1933, no. 2, pages 6-7.
![Symbol by Martinus](/billeder/symboler/symbol043.jpg)
Symbol no. 43
Symbol of Livets Bog (The Book of Life) at its Present Stage (1933)