, the pretended value vanishes in the face of
actuality) while "our" alchemistic gold is an everlasting good. The yoga
doctrine, too, describes Siddhi (those imaginary wonders in which the
visionary loses himself) as transitory, only salvation alone, i.e., the
mystical goal being imperishable.

As for the metaphysical import of the mystical doctrine, I might maintain
that the psychoanalytic unmasking of the impelling powers cannot prejudice
its value. I do not venture at all upon this valuation; but for the very
purpose of bringing into prominence a separate philosophical problem, I
must emphatically declare that if psychoanalysis makes it conceivable that
we men, impelled by this and that "titanic" primal power, are necessitated
to hit upon this or that idea, then even if it is made clear what causes
us to light upon it, still nothing is as yet settled as to the value for
knowledge of the thing discovered.

I am so far from wishing to derive a critique of the metaphysical import
of the doctrine from psychoanalytic grounds alone, that I felt called upon
to make claim only to a synthesis for the merely psychological
understanding of mystic symbolism, a synthesis which I have attempted to
block out as well as I was able in the present Part III of my book.

Section III.

The Royal Art.

It has been mentioned that the work of perfecting mankind might be
realized in different degrees of intensity, which might extend from
complete living realization to mere sympathy without any clear
comprehension. The psychic types in which the realization is achieved are,
it may be said, identical.

These typical groups of symbols that the mystic [I draw a certain
distinction between the mystes and the mystic. The latter is a mystes who
makes a system of what he has realized.] produces as a functional
expression of his subjective transformation, can be thought of as an
educational method applied to arouse the same reactions in other men. In
the group of symbols are contained more or less clearly the already
mentioned elementary types as they are common to all men; they strike the
same chords in all men. Symbolism is for this very reason the most
universal language that can be conceived. It is also the only language
that is adapted to the various degrees of intensity as well as to the
different levels of the intro-determination of living experience without
requiring therefore a different means o