ion or
rotting. Without this no fruitful work is possible. I have previously
mentioned that it was thought that semen must rot in order to impregnate.
The seed grain is subject to putrefaction in the earth. But we must
remember also the impregnating activity of manure if we wish to understand
correctly and genetically the association rot--procreate. Putrefaction is
one of the forms of corruption (= breaking up) and corruptio unius est
generatio alterius (the breaking up of one is the begetting of another).

Arnold (Ros., I, 9): "In so far as the substances here do not become
incorporeal or volatile, so that there is no more substance [as such
therefore destroyed] you will accomplish nothing in your work."

The red man and the white woman, called also red lions and white lilies,
and many other names, are united and cooked together in a vessel, the
philosophical Egg. The combined material becomes thereby gradually black
(and is called raven or ravenhead), later white (swan); now a somewhat
greater heat is applied and the substance is sublimated in the vessel (the
swan flies up); on further heating a vivid play of colors appears (peacock
tail or rainbow); finally the substance becomes red and that is the
conclusion of the main work. The red substance is the philosopher's stone,
called also our king, red lion, grand elixir, etc. The after work is a
subsequent elaboration by which the stone is given still more power,
"multiplied" in its efficiency. Then in "projection" upon a baser metal it
is able to tincture immense amounts of it to gold. [In the stage of
projection the red tincture is symbolized as a pelican. The reason for
this will be given later.] If the main work was interrupted at the white
stage, instead of waiting for the red, then they got the white stone, the
small elixir, with which the base metals can be turned into silver alone.

We have spoken just now of the main work and the after work. I mention for
completeness that the trituration and purification, etc., of the
materials, which precedes the main work, is called the fore work. The
division is, however, given in other ways besides.

Armed with this explanation we can venture to look for the alchemic
hieroglyphs in our parable. I must beg the reader to recall the main
episodes.

In the wanderer we have to conceive of a man who has started out to learn
the secret of the great work. He finds in the forest contradictory
opinions. He has fallen deep into er