The Lost Key: An Explanation of Masonic Symbols

74The Lost Keyobservation. The formal explanation of the lack of metals does notgo into the matter from this standpoint at all and hence, logically,it must be a superficial explanation.222. Metals have always been employed as symbolic of variousqualities, usually mental. The more precious metals, such as goldand siJver, typify the higher qualities while the so-cal1ed lowermetals typify lower Qualities. Thus gold is a symbol of spiritualqualities or wisdom. It would be an easy matter to pick out manypassages from Scripture and also from the ancient mythology toprove this statement but the fact is so obvious that it is notnecessary to do so. The metals are used, symbolically, even to thepresent day and we frequently hear some one spoken of as“brazen,” or some one else is described as having a character like“steel.” We speak of an “iron constitution,” a heart “of gold,” etc.In ancient times the symbolic meanings of the metals were somewhatmore detailed than they are today but we still use the namesof the metals to typify certain qualities.223. Metals are obtained at the expense of considerable labor.Usually they have to be dug out of the rock and smelted. Goldmust be “tried in the fire.” Rocks are a part of the earth and theearth, the ground, has always been used to symbolize the lowernatures. Metals are obtained by means of labor in the earth.Qualities of the mind or of the lower nature are obtained by meansof the labor performed by the spirit or the consciousness in thelower nature.224. Such qualities as self-control, courage, concentration, persistance,generosity and a thousand others all have to be developedby hard work and the “smelting” of the rocky material of the lowernature. The analogy is perfect, so perfect that the meaning is reallyobvious.