e only a scullery maid; and certainly, neither the beauty nor the
goodness nor the wisdom of earthly kings and queens would be
sufficient to inspire the comparison.

It is ever the soul calling for the mate who, when found, will exalt
the "twain-one" into the immortal powers and immortal wealth
imperfectly symbolized by earthly rulers, making "right royal queens
and kings of common clay."

The third aspect of the symbolism tells of "an union between two
natures which are one at the root, but diverse in manifestation." And
the alchemist who sought the physical interpretation of this, promised
that, as earth, air, and fire and water were the elements "out of
which all manifestation is composed," it only remained for someone to
discover the exact proportion of each of these elementary substances
in a specific compound; this accomplished, copper for example, could
be dissolved into its constituent parts and re-solved again in the
proportions which formed gold, a thing which we are not prepared to
say could not be accomplished, but a thing which we do say, would not
even be attempted by one who had found the secret of the interior
transmutation, because having attained to the radiant center, he
would realize the "glory of the worlds," and gold, as metal, would be
to him of far less value than the emerald of the grass; the pearls of
dew upon the rose; the scent of the lotus; the song of birds; the
laughter of children.

How vain and foolish to imagine that a philosopher would think it
worth while to search for gold, as a metal. He would not even consider
the ambition worthy the parchment used to preserve the record of his
labors.

But to find the golden light from the radiant center of pure and
unquenchable love--that were indeed worthy of ages of research. For
are we not promised, the "glory of the world" if we will seek and
find? And he who truly seeks will absolutely find. What is the glory
of the world? Is it fame, or wealth, or lands, or gems or kingdoms?

Love is the only glory worthy of the name.

"For Life with all its yield of joy and woe
And hope and fear--believe the aged friend--
Is just our chance at the prize o' learning love."

When we realize the esoteric meaning of this aspect of the ancient
alchemical symbol, namely, that the two halves of the one whole,
manifesting diversely as male and female, are reunited, we come to the
fourth aspect of the symbol mentioned, and the "transmutation which
f