THE GOLDEN TRACT

CONCERNING

THE STONE OF THE PHILOSOPHERS,

BY AN ANONYMOUS GERMAN PHILOSOPHER.

The following inscriptions are found within the central alchemical diagram:

All Glory original: "Omne Decus"
The Blessed Stone contains all things within itself original: "Habet in se omnia Lapis Benedictus"
Striving in the Arena original: "Nisus in Arena." This phrase traditionally refers to the diligent, often difficult labor of the alchemist working within the "arena" of the laboratory or the vessel.

The emblem features a central cruciform pillar topped with a radiant sun and grounded in a crescent moon/chalice base. This represents the union of solar (active/sulfur) and lunar (passive/mercury) principles, a classic 17th-century alchemical engraving that visually encodes hermetic principles.

Those things which are in the heights, are also in the depths:

original: "Quæ ſunt in ſuperis, hæc inferioribus inſunt." This is a poetic variation of the famous Hermetic maxim "As above, so below," suggesting that the laws governing the stars also govern the minerals and the human body.

What the heaven displays, the earth often possesses.

Fire, Water, and the flowing [air] are two opposites: fortunate [are you],

original: "Ignis, Aqua et fluitans duo ſunt contraria." In alchemical theory, Fire and Water are the primary opposing forces. The "flowing" element likely refers to the Spirit or Air that mediates between them.

If you join such things: let it be enough for you to know!

This refers to the "Chemical Wedding" or the union of opposites—the central goal of the alchemical process to create the Philosopher's Stone.

D.M. of C.B. P.L.C.

These initials refer to Daniel Mögling of Culm-Bachem, a physician and mathematician who wrote under the pseudonym Theophilus Schweighardt. P.L.C. stands for Poeta Laureatus Caesareus (Imperial Poet Laureate). He was a prominent figure in the early Rosicrucian movement.

The image described depicts a grand Alchemical Macrocosm and Microcosm. At the top, the union of Fire (upward triangle) and Water (downward triangle) forms a Hexagram, or the Seal of Solomon, symbolizing the balance of the universe. Below, the seven figures in the grotto represent the seven classical planets and their corresponding metals: the Sun (Gold), Moon (Silver), Mars (Iron), Venus (Copper), Jupiter (Tin), Saturn (Lead), and Mercury (Quicksilver). The central well suggests the "Source of Life" or the "First Matter" from which all things are drawn.