The Color Gold Represents

Success: gold relates to achievement and victory, the winner.

Wealth: gold implies affluence, material wealth and extravagance.

Prestige and luxury: gold is associated with sophistication, elegance, value, quality
and status.

Effects of Gold

Enlightenment: gold, at its highest level, inspires knowledge, spirituality and a deep
understanding of the self and the soul.

Compassion: caring, loving, generous and giving, gold is the benefactor or patron.

Generosity: gold loves to share its wisdom, knowledge and wealth with others.

The Color Gold

The color of wealth, success and status

The color gold is the color of success, achievement and triumph. Associated with
abundance and prosperity, luxury and quality, prestige and sophistication, value and
elegance, the psychology of this color implies affluence, material wealth and
extravagance.
Gold in its physical state, by its very nature, denotes wealth and prestige in every
country, culture and market in the world today - it is probably the most valuable and
easily traded commodity available in the global market place.

This color is linked to masculine energy and the power of the sun, compared to silver
which is associated with feminine energy and the sensitivity of the moon.

Optimistic and positive, gold adds richness and warmth to everything with which it is
associated - it illuminates and enhances other things around it.

At the uppermost level, this is a color which is associated with higher ideals, wisdom,
understanding and enlightenment. It inspires knowledge, spirituality and a deep
understanding of the self and the soul.

In the meaning of colors, gold is generous and giving, compassionate and loving, the
benefactor or patron, sharing its wisdom, knowledge and wealth with others.

Gold is the color of the winner - first place medals are always in gold, silver is second
place.

Confident, passionate and eye-catching, gold draws attention to itself.

Gold is a warm color that can be shiny, glistening and happy as well as dull, muted
and traditional. The brighter shades of gold catch the eye with their brilliance while
the darker muted shades are deep, warm and intense.
Gold has long been associated with royalty throughout the world, along with purple.

Being surrounded by too much gold can lead you to become egotistical, self-righteous
and opportunistic in your quest for greater power and influence.

If living under the negative of the color gold, you may not trust easily, have a fear of
success and wealth, or even exhibit a fear of failure. You may be selfish and
demanding, lacking kindness and generosity, even to the extreme of being miserly.

If your favorite color is gold, it will reflect in your personality! Personality

color gold will give you more information on this.
If you are thinking of using gold in a business application, read about the
meanings of colors in business.

Positive and Negative Traits

Positive keywords include: Success, abundance, wealth, understanding, self-

worth, wisdom, compassion, love, passion, charisma, winning, optimistic, positive,
and masculine

Negative keywords include: Fear of success, fear of wealth, self-centred,

demanding, mean spirited, lack of trust, falseness

Colors carry connotations. Whether it’s a lush green, signifying new life and
abundance, or indigo representing it’s tumultuous history of slavery and wealth, we
associate all kinds of emotions, stigmas, and significance with different colors.
Gold has captivated human beings for as long as we’ve known about it. Its radiance
so closely resembles the sun that ancient people used gold to worship. This was the
beginning of a long relationship between the color gold and our ideas of divinity.

Tutankhamun

People in Kemet—the ancient African name for Egypt—believed gold had special,
magic powers and would bury their dead with gold in order to protect the person in
the afterlife. They were so taken by it’s yellowish warmth that they would only let
specifically qualified citizens handle the processing of their gold.
Gold symbolizes wealth and prosperity because of how expensive and rare it is, but it
would be one-sided to say its symbolism ends there. It is not only used to signify
royalty, majesty, but also divinity and honor. Many different kinds of temples and
houses of worship all over the world are adorned with gold, as a sign of respect and
reverence.
Gold obviously represents more than material wealth. The Baha’i writings talk about
gold as a way to measure the purity of spiritual wealth, describing the color in a way
that’s a lot less literal than the way it has been talked about historically. For Baha’is,
the fiery purification of gold becomes a metaphor for achieving spiritual perfection:
The more difficulties one has in the world, the more perfect one becomes. The more
you plow and dig the ground, the more fertile it becomes. The more you cut the
branches of a tree, the higher and straighter it grows. The more you put gold into the
fire, the purer it becomes. The more you sharpen the steel by grinding, the better it
cuts. Therefore, the more sorrows one has the more perfect one becomes. That is
why at all times the prophets of God had tribulations and difficulties to withstand.
The more often the captain of a ship is in a tempest and difficult the sailing, the
greater his knowledge becomes. Therefore, I am happy that you have had many
sorrows. Strange I am happy that you have had many sorrows. Strange it is that I love
you and still I am happy that you have sorrows—Faith is the magnet that attracts
divine confirmations. – Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, Volume 8, p. 41.
Not until man is tried doth the pure gold distinctly separate from the dross. Torment
is the fire of test wherein the pure gold shineth resplendently and the impurity is
burned and blackened. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha,
pp. 120-121.
These Baha’i writings address gold in a way that’s much different than the current
narrative surrounding the metal. They make a direct connection between tests and
hardship, and the value of gold. This brings an entirely new dimension to the
meaning of the color. It removes the material obsession with gold things, and
replaces it with the drive to seek out spiritual perfection that is as pure as gold.
O Son of Being! Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and
with gold We test Our servants. – Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words, p. 16.
O Son of Man! Thou dost wish for gold and I desire thy freedom from it. Thou
thinkest thyself rich in its possession, and I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity
therefrom. By My life! This is My knowledge, and that is thy fancy; how can My way
accord with thine? – Ibid., pp. 16-17.
Louis Gregory was one of the first black Baha’is. He was a prominent writer and
shared the teachings of the Faith with other black people. He had a special place in
Abdu’l-Baha’s heart, and descriptions of him often include mentions of gold. This, to
me, would be one of the highest compliments:
That pure soul has a heart like unto transparent water. He is like unto pure gold. This
is why he is acceptable in any market and is current in every country. – Abdu’l-Baha,
quoted in Gayle Morrison’s To Move the World.
Profoundly deplore grievous loss of dearly beloved, noble-minded, golden-hearted
Louis Gregory …. – Cable sent by Shoghi Effendi upon the passing of Louis Gregory,
Citadel of Faith, p. 163.
Gold is mentioned in the Baha’i writings in another capacity: to describe a coming
age of world peace. Baha’is are tasked with building a new world on the foundation
of spiritual principles like justice, truthfulness, and love. Once this happens, we are
told, the world will experience the Most Great Justice, a Golden Age:
We can expect much cultural diversity in the long period before the emergence of a
world commonwealth of nations in the Golden Age of Peace of Baha’u’llah’s new
world order. Much wisdom and tolerance will be required, and much time must
elapse until the advent of that great day.
At the present time, the challenge to every Baha’i community is to avoid suppression
of those culturally-diverse elements which are not contrary to the teachings, while
establishing and maintaining such a high degree of unity that others are attracted to
the Cause of God. – The Universal House of Justice, in a letter to individual believers
in the United States, 25 July 1988.
“These great oppressions,” He [Baha’u’llah], moreover, foreshadowing humanity’s
golden age, has written, “are preparing it for the advent of the Most Great Justice.”
This Most Great Justice is indeed the Justice upon which the structure of the Most
Great Peace can alone, and must eventually, rest, while the Most Great Peace will, in
turn, usher in that Most Great, that World Civilization which shall remain forever
associated with Him Who beareth the Most Great Name. – Shoghi Effendi, The
Promised Day Is Come, pp. 3-4.
These quotes describe the Golden Age as one where people from all different
cultures will be unified. This makes me think of how gold never tarnishes or rusts,
and how that should also be a quality of unity. True unity should withstand the test
of exposure and time.
Gold has forever been the most sought-after and revered element. Its dazzling color
has driven humanity to go to huge lengths in order to obtain and protect it.
Historically, it’s one of the few material things that has been regarded with a spiritual
reverence by different cultures since its discovery. The Baha’i writings take the
acknowledgement of it’s spirituality to a new level, aligning it with ideals of
perfection and unity.
 Whether it’s a rich brown, signifying the fertility of the earth, or bright gold,
representing the tests and hardships that have lead us to becoming more perfect
people—colors carry connotations.

Technically (and alchemically) speaking, gold is a soft, shiny, yellow, heavy, malleable, ductile
metal. It is also a trivalent and a univalent which means it’s a transitional metal.
As a transitional metal, gold is symbolic of flexibility on our spiritual path while life experience
galvanizes our faith.
One of the more valued elements, gold represents perfection in all matter, on any level. It also
symbolizes humankind’s quest to perfect, illuminate and refine his/herself.
Because of its resistance to heat and acid, gold is a symbol of immutability, eternity and
perfection.
Because of its golden color, it is almost universally associated with solar symbolism. This gives
gold such attributes as:
 Vitality
 Life
 Health
 Radiance
 Wisdom
 Clarity
 Unification
 Virtue
 Light
In Christian symbolism, gold is considered an attribute of virtue and golden hues are used quite
often in Christian art to convey divine love.
The infamous legend of alchemists turning common metals into gold is actually a parable for
the human quest to change base vulgarities like greed, hate and selfishness into qualities like
love, virtue and compassion through the process of self-purification. Ergo, gold is symbolic of
this transition of the soul.

Gold can adopt many different meanings. In economic contexts it can acquire material value, in social contexts it can
gain significance for status and position within a hierarchical structure, in religious contexts it can be used to express
veneration of the divine or a divinity, in magical contexts it can be perceived as a material with inherent powerful
qualities. We can define the symbolic nature of gold as a means of communication. That implies, firstly, communication
among humans in different situations for different purposes but also, secondly, between humans and a spiritual world.

Where is gold mentioned in the Bible? Where was it found? How will it fulfill
prophecy?
The Bible mentions gold very early within its pages. The Garden of Eden had
a river flowing out of it that fed four other major waterways (the Pishon, Gihon,
Tigris and the Euphrates, Genesis 2:10 - 14). Pishon flowed into a land called
Havilah, where there was great quantities of high quality gold (verse 11).
There are seven Hebrew words (seven is a number that symbolizes
perfection) in the Old Testament used to refer to gold. The most common
word used is Zahab (Strong's Concordance #H2091). It is from a root word
that means to shimmer or shine. Paz (#H6337), refers to the mineral in its
pure or refined state and sometimes refers to spiritual purity and glory. Betser
(#H1220), found only in Job 22, refers to gold when it is broken up.
Charuts (Strong's #H1220) is used to reference to gold when it is chopped or
cut off in pieces. Kethem (#H3800) refers to the metal that it is in a state as
pure as originally mined. Sagar (#H5462), found only in Job 28, references
the metal as a solid. Lastly, Dehab (#H1722), which occurs only in the books
of Daniel and Ezra, is yet another reference to gold.
Fascinating trivia on Genesis!
What does silver symbolize?
How did Solomon become wealthy?
Scripture lists at least six places, in ancient times, where this precious metal
was known to be found. They are Havilah (Genesis 2:11 - 12), Ophir (1Kings
9:28, 10:11, 1Chronicles 29:4, 2Chronicles 8:18, Job 22:24), Parvaim
(2Chronicles 3:6), Sheba (1Kings 10:10, 2Chronicles 9:9, Psalm 72:15),
Tarshish (2Chronicles 9:21, Isaiah 60:9) and Uphaz (Jeremiah 10:9).

World's largest gold bar

at 250,000g!

Gold, in Bible times, was many times valued by weight using a unit of
measure known as a Talent. A talent weighed about 75 U.S. pounds or 34.3
kilograms, which is equivalent of 1,094 troy ounces. If we assume a gold price
of $1,500 per troy ounce, a talent would be worth $1,639,500.
According to the World Gold Council, the best estimates available suggest the
total amount of the precious metal mined in human history (to the year 2009)
is approximately 165,600 metric tons. According to the council, 75% of all this
metal ever mined has been extracted since 1910 A.D.
Amazingly, the prophetic book of Revelation refers to gold no less than
twenty-two times! It will play a major role in End Time events. Seven
lampstands made from the metal are referred to three times (1:12, 1:20 and
2:1). Jesus, in a vision, revealed the book's prophecies to John clothed in a
girdle or band made of the metal (1:13). Other references in this prophetic
book include Revelation 4:4, 5:8, 8:3, 9:7, 9:20, 14:14 and 17:3 - 5 (which
references a woman riding a beast).
Lastly, the final use of gold in the Bible occurs when God creates a NEW
heavens and a NEW earth. He will personally make a new Jerusalem,
complete with streets composed of the rare mineral, and lower it from heaven
onto a new earth so that he can dwell with mankind forever (Revelation 21).

This post is part of the Color Meaning Blog Series, detailing the meanings associated
with colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, grey, black, white,
brown, pink, turquoise, gold, silver, and beige.
The color gold is the color of extravagance, wealth, riches, and excess, and shares
several of the same attributes of the color yellow. The color gold is a warm color that
can be either bright and cheerful or somber and traditional. The color gold is cousin
to the color yellow and the color brown, and is also associated with illumination,
love, compassion, courage, passion, magic, and wisdom.
Gold is a precious metal that is associated with wealth, grandeur, and prosperity, as
well as sparkle, glitz, and glamour. Gold is the official fiftieth wedding anniversary
gift, with copper as the official seventh wedding anniversary gift and bronze as the
official eighth wedding anniversary gift.
Gold gemstones are believed to increase personal wisdom and power, aid in health
and wellness, create success and prosperity, and illuminate the path toward your
goal.
Other meanings associated with the color gold:
 The term “fool’s gold” refers to anything mistaken for gold, or something
that is worthless.
 The phrase “gold star” is used to signify praise, accomplishment, and
commendation.
 The saying “solid gold” refers to superior, high-quality, outstanding, and
best of the best.
 The term “gold standard” is a measure of the best, quality, and
excellence.
 The phrase “gold brick” is used in reference to a trick, cheat, or actions of
deceit.
 The phrase “good as gold” means that something is valuable or positive.
 The expression “golden child” refers to a favored person.
 The expression “gold digger” describes someone who is only after a
person’s money.

Gold and silver have also played an important part in the articulation of sacred time and space. Sacred time par
excellence is often represented as a Golden Age, which is followed by an only slightly inferior Silver Age. The widespread
schema of the four ages of the world finds its way into the Book of Daniel(2:31–45), in Nebuchadrezzar's dream of a
colossus with a head of gold and with breast and arms of silver.

To the extent that sacred space has been organized around a temple, the presence of gold and silver ornament has
contributed powerfully to the creation of a properly numinous ambience. Here one thinks not only of the wealth of
Solomon's temple and of medieval Christian cathedrals, but also of the Temple of the Sun at Cuzco in ancient Peru, which
was covered with enormous quantities of gold. In the Hindu tradition the world has passed through four periods of time;
according to popular legend, all the accoutrements used by people were made from gold in the earliest period, which
was regarded as the purest era.
Association with Alchemy

Nowhere, however, is the symbolic potential of gold and silver exploited more fully than in the various traditions of
alchemy. According to alchemical doctrine, gold and silver develop in the earth under the influence of the sun and moon
respectively. The ultimate goal of this development is the production of gold, which is consequently viewed as the
perfect metal, and as a symbol of spiritual perfection. The alchemist's art is intended to hasten this natural process, both
in external nature and within the alchemist's soul. Silver here becomes the symbol of the soul's purity and passivity
before the activity of the spirit, symbolized by gold.

The life of a true Christian is not an easy one. It is a constant, daily struggle against Satan, self
and society. Yet in the midst of this battle, God promises real joy and an abundant life if we
strive to obey Him, repent and overcome.
Each year, the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread remind us of the enormous price
that had to be paid for sin as well as the need to rid it completely from our lives. For seven
days, we are to have no leaven or leavened products in our homes (Exodus 12:15; 13:7); God
compares sin to leaven which “puffs up” (1 Corinthians 5:1-8).
Another metaphor picturing the process of repenting and removing sin from our lives, also
mentioned in the Bible, is that of gold being refined and purified.
In ancient Israel, in the tabernacle and later in the temple, God wanted everything done to
perfection. The ark of the covenant was overlaid with pure gold. The staffs to carry it were
covered in gold, as were the mercy seat and the cherubims that covered it.
Elsewhere within the tabernacle, the table for the shewbread was covered in gold. The dishes,
spoons and bowls used in the temple service were pure gold. The candlesticks, the tongs, the
snuffdishes—all made of gold.
And this was just in the tabernacle. Perhaps we have a concept of a ramshackle tent in the
desert. But God’s tabernacle was outfitted with the highest-quality materials. Everyone
donated to the building fund to make God’s house exceptionally nice. If something was to be in
God’s presence, it was going to have be made of QUALITY MATERIAL.
Today, God is preparing a spiritual temple. His very elect saints make up that holy temple to
which Jesus Christ shall soon return (1 Corinthians 3:9, 17). Herbert W. Armstrong clearly
explained this in Mystery of the Ages: “The Church, then, is to grow into a HOLY TEMPLE—the
spiritual TEMPLE to which Christ shall come—even as He came to a material temple of stone and
metals and wood the first time.”
Because we are, in fact, God’s holy temple, we need to ask ourselves individually—especially at
this introspective time of year leading up to the Passover—what quality of materials are we
building with?
Anciently, King David extensively prepared—“with all [his] might”—the materials, including fine
gold, for his son Solomon to build God’s temple (1 Chronicles 29:1-2). David personally donated
3,000 talents of the “gold of Ophir,” at that time esteemed the purest and finest in the world
(verses 3-4). This gold was extremely rare and of great worth.
Through the inspired pen of the Apostle Paul, God admonishes us to build on the foundation of
Christ with precious building materials, because the day is coming when every man’s work shall
be made manifest, or publicly known (1 Corinthians 3:13). Thus, even as King David set his
affections on building the best possible house for God, we too must desire to build for God with
only the finestmaterials available. We should desire to build permanently into our character
refined qualitieswhich can be likened to that precious gold David donated for God’s physical
house.
The process of refining and purifying gold is analogous to the process God desires to put us
through as He prepares us to be “fitly framed” into His holy temple (Ephesians 2:21).

We Are Dirt!
In precious metal operations, ore is the chief source of gold. Ore must be mined—with great
effort and expense, usually with heavy equipment or blasted with explosives—from deep
within the Earth’s crust before the purification process can even begin.
God chose each of us “in the raw”—like an unrefined chunk of ore. Jude shows the process God
goes through—setting us apart, preserving and protecting us, and finally calling us to become
part of His holy temple (Jude 1). As a master Geologist and Surveyor, God has spent
considerable time studying each of us to measure our potential for yielding righteous character,
determining how much “gold” we might be able to produce.
What is truly remarkable is the hidden potential God sees in each of us. If we were actual
deposits of ore, a mining company would probably reject us. 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 shows that
God calls the weak, base, foolish and despised of the Earth. Can we agree that we were not the
finest of ore when God first selected us?
Yet despite our flaws, we are now the only ones God has chosen to work with! Why? Though
we would be considered worthless by many, it is for this very reason that God has chosen us—
that no flesh should glory in His presence (verse 29).

Three Refining Steps Required

In Old Testament times, there was an intricate three-step process used to refine mined ore into
purified gold.
The initial step in the process was to pound, shatter and crush the ore into a fine powder. The
elements that made up the ore—dirt, rock minerals, gold and whatever other metals and
unwanted materials remained—were totally pulverized.
God’s chosen “ore” has an excessive amount of undesirable elements, or “dross,” in it. The first
step in the refining process illustrates the humbling that everyone must undergo before God
can begin working with them.
This attitude is described in Psalm 34:18: “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken
heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” The Hebrew word for broken here literally
means shattered, rent violently and crushed.
Every member of God’s Church had an initial period of repentance. Mr. Armstrong vividly
described in his autobiography the repeated shattering of his business ventures that crushed
his vanity.
But this crushing of vanity isn’t something we do only once. We have to maintain an ongoing
attitude and spirit of brokenness before God so the purification process can continue
throughout our converted life.
Many other scriptures reinforce this concept of being “broken.” For example, in Isaiah 66:2,
God says that “to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and
trembleth at my word.” The Apostle James likewise admonishes us to humble ourselves in
God’s sight; only then will He lift us up to glory (James 4:10). 1 Peter 5:5 tells us to be clothed
with humility because God resists the proud and gives grace only to the humble.
This crushed and broken attitude is exactly what God desired from ancient Israel when He
brought them out of the bondage of sin represented by Egypt. God took them through the Red
Sea, symbolizing baptism and the removal of sin, as well as their redemption. They could have
continued in God’s way and entered the Promised Land of Canaan within about 14 days, but
Israel would not believe God. Israel would not submit to Him as ore must submit to the refiner.
For this stubborn, disbelieving and faithless hardness, God allowed them to wander in the
wilderness for 40 long years: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led
thee these forty years in the wilderness, to HUMBLE THEE, AND TO PROVE THEE, to know what was in
thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no” (Deuteronomy 8:2).
The situation is no different for us today. Unless we are in an attitude of humility and
submission and are yielding to God as our Refiner, we will not be able to enter the Kingdom.
The gold-refining process in Old Testament times was tedious. Unyielding ore, worked with
primitive hand tools, would leave the refiner perspiring and frustrated as he strained to shatter
it.
Imagine how our Refiner, God the Father, must feel if, after spending years working on us,
trying to crush our sinful attitudes—with His Word, through sermons, counseling sessions with
His ministry and other means— we still refuse to be humbled and guided. Could you be causing
your Refiner such frustration? Pause and reflect deeply on that question!
Ask yourself: Have I grown since last year’s Passover season? Can I honestly say, before God,
that I have made progress in overcoming—because I allowed Him to “work me over” in this
spiritual refining process? Or am I still struggling with persistent problems that have gone
unsolved for years? Am I unwilling to be “crushed”?
If you have been “difficult” for Christ to deal with in recent months, resolve now to repent.
Don’t remain as a hardened chunk of ore. Go before God’s throne, and humbly and fervently
beseech Him to soften your hardheadedness so that He can extract the potential “gold” He
knows you contain.
Only when we are “crushed” and of a humble, contrite spirit can the great Refiner move us
forward to the next step in the character-refinement process.

Washings
In the physical gold-refining process, after the mined ore is crushed and pounded into powder,
it then must go through frequent washings and cleansings. During these washings, the
unwanted, non-metallic elements are, to a large extent, eliminated; only the metallic elements
are left behind.
The first washing that we undergo is BAPTISM. In Acts 22:16, Paul likens baptism to the washing
awayof sin. We emerge from the baptismal waters totally washed of those past sins. Acts 2:38
contains the admonition, “Repent and be baptized”—representing the first two steps in this
purification process.
But, as with the first step, an ONGOING washing must occur throughout our converted life. 1 John
1:9 says if we confess our sins, God will forgive us and CLEANSE us from unrighteousness. Paul
tells us Christ sanctifies and cleanses the Church “with the washing of water by the word, That
he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:26-27). These are ongoing
processes.
This step in our spiritual refining would not be possible without Jesus Christ having been
sacrificed as the propitiated Passover Lamb for the sins of all mankind. Christ is the only one
qualified to cleanse us from our sins. He, in our stead, paid the eternal death penalty for our
past sins. His perfect sacrifice also allowed for the veil of the temple to be rent open, giving us
full access to God the Father. It was after His death and resurrection that Christ became our
Advocate to God the Father (Hebrews 1:3; 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1).
When we approach God’s throne in prayer we have opportunity to personally and boldly claim
the Refiner’s promises in deep fervent prayer. We can ask for and receive the necessary
“washing” from Him by His Word. That requires daily Bible study, prayer and meditation, along
with occasional fasting. Failing to submit and perform this step leaves us as ore unbroken or
unwashed. It brings to a halt God’s purification process. You must go to Him in repentance and
be washed daily.
How much time are you giving God daily to wash you? As part of our self-examination, we need
to deeply examine all aspects of our lives (1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5). Are you
seeing all the dross? Are you searching the Bible daily, as the Bereans did (Acts 17:10-11), with
the earnest desire to “prove all things” the way God would have you do? (1 Thessalonians
5:21). Are you being corrected and guided to use God’s way of handling things in all areas of
your life? Ask yourself: Am I taking the action necessary to allow God to wash the dross out of
me? Or am I taking this process for granted?
We should approach our Refiner with the same attitude that King David had when he
recognized his sin against God after committing adultery with Bathsheba. In Psalm 51, David
prayed: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I
acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I
sinned, and done this evil in thy sight …” (verses 2-4).
David did not want to stay stone-faced and defiant toward God. He wanted that unwanted
material and dross removed from his character. He came in a crushed, repentant attitude in
deep, faith-filled prayer before God, asking to have that dross completely washed out of him!
David didn’t stop there: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be
whiter than snow” (verse 7). He did not want to be useless “ore remnants” that God would
throw away (verse 11). He wanted to remove that dross from his life and become purified gold.
This malleable, gold-like attitude is surely a large part of what made David a man after God’s
own heart (Acts 13:22).
We NEED to be washed and cleansed. Acknowledge that unless the dross is removed from your
mind, you will have no part with Christ in the soon-coming Kingdom of God (John 13:8). Could
anything be more serious?
With this in mind, be sure to set aside plenty of time before the Passover to pray, study, fast
and meditate on every aspect of your life. Examine your role as a husband, wife, son or
daughter. Examine your Sabbath-keeping, your actions in the world and in the body of Christ,
and compare it to the pure and perfect gold of Christ’s example. Make sure Christ is “washing
out” your mind, and ridding it of any sinful thoughts or attitudes you may have toward His law
or government. And make sure you are ready to partake of the Passover communion service in
a right attitude (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).
In so doing, you will allow God to wash out the dirt, rock fragments, sand—unwanted spiritual
elements and everything else that is not part of the pure and perfect “gold” God must have to
build His holy temple.

The Furnace
At this point in the purification process, the crushed and cleansed ore is collected and placed in
crucibles of clay; then it must be submitted to the furnace.
The dross-filled gold ore melts at the extreme temperature of 1,948 degrees Fahrenheit (1,064
degrees Celsius). In order to raise the furnace to that white-hot temperature, bellows are used
to pump oxygen into the raging fire. Once the ore melts, an amazing thing happens: The
impurities in the gold begin to rise to the top. The refiner is then able to skim the impurities off
the top of the molten metal.
The more this process is repeated, the purer the gold becomes.
This step in the process is equated to the fiery trials Christians face. Though unpleasant, this
step is a vital and necessary part of our Christian lives (1 Peter 4:12, 19). It is only after we have
been fired in the furnace that the Refiner can begin to skim the dross from our spiritual
character (Isaiah 1:25). This process, called calcination, is then repeated over and over. Each
time, a little more dross is skimmed off and the gold is further purified.
In order to bear such trials, we must keep the Refiner’s perspective. This will allow us to face
the difficulties with joy and gladness (1 Peter 4:13) and to produce the very patience that God
says is more precious than gold itself (1 Peter 1:7). We WILL face many such trials in our lives.
Each time, we must remember that, no matter how difficult or painful it becomes, we have our
Refiner’s full assurance that He will not allow a trial to become more than we can personally
handle (1 Corinthians 10:13) and that He will deliver us from it (Psalm 34:19).
Yes, God tests us severely to get us to repent of sin. He allows serious circumstances to befall us
at times. But remember, He tempts no man with evil (James 1:13). He only makes us endure
spiritual calcining until we are fully ready for permanent use in the holy temple—then He
“seals” us, either through death (reserving us for the resurrection) or through the miraculous
transformation which shall happen to our body, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” if we
are one of those who are alive at Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
It is during this stage in the refining process that God works to fully extract the dross of Satan’s
nature from all aspects of our character. That is what qualifies us, through grace (unmerited
pardon). Also, the parables of the pounds and talents (Luke 19; Matthew 25) illustrate that God
will also reward us for our fruits, obedience and belief.
Fiery trials provide the necessary opportunities to grow in faith. And there are essentially two
ways we can choose to face such situations: OBEDIENCE or COMPROMISE.

Obedience or Compromise
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced a literal fiery furnace as their trial. They had to choose
to obey God with absolute faith in His eternal promises, or else compromise and rob
themselves of the opportunity to grow and become more purified with an opportunity for
greater reward in God’s Kingdom.
We face the same choices. How do you—and how will you—face your fiery trials? Your choices
and fruits today demonstrate your belief and faith in God and the veracity of His Word!
When you are faced with a stumblingblock of any kind, is your initial reaction or thought to
seize the opportunity to humble yourself before your Refiner and allow Him to remove the
dross and leaven in your thinking and actions? Or do you seek a man-made way to circumvent
or retard the purifying flames of the Refiner’s furnace?
For example, in a severe financial trial such as deep debt, do you immediately reach for your
credit card? Do you file for bankruptcy? Or rely on a bailout from someone or a loan from some
lending institution? Or do you, rather than trying to treat the effects of your problem, examine
your spending habits and past financial decisions to determine the root causes of your financial
woes?
Here’s another example to consider: In a health trial—say you or a loved one is faced with an
extreme illness or injury—do you immediately turn to the medical fraternity? Or do you
consider the fact that physical sin was involved, and first and foremost you need the stripes of
Christ to blot out and forgive the cause of that health trial?
Think about this, too: In a marriage trial, do you ignore your problems? Do you attempt to
sweep the symptoms under the rug? Do you simply blame the other person and fail to look at
yourself? Do you overlook the true source of your bickering and disputing with your mate? Do
you opt to sleep on the couch, or refuse to communicate with your spouse? Do you separate or
divorce, rather than, in a humbled state, beg God to purify you and ask for help and guidance
from God’s ministers?
There are many other situations where we can either undergo God’s calcination or circumvent
it.
The stark reality is, by circumventing a trial WE ACTUALLY ROB OURSELVES OF A GREATER REWARD! We
take from God the opportunity to further calcine us. What a sobering thought. We choose to
remain as regular gold that is not as pure as it could be, not yet as pure as the gold of Ophir.
A word of caution: We must never condemn fellow brethren who choose to handle their fiery
trials differently than we would. Beware of harshly judging others. Just as Christ exemplified,
we must each pray for one another and encourage one another, as members of the same
family, to strive to have the very faith of Christ. Christ is the Judge of men.
When you face trials, go immediately to your Refiner and seek the powerful help you need of
Him. Ask Him for the strength not to circumvent the trial, no matter how difficult or painful.
Submit to Him in prayer, study, meditation and fasting so that He might wash you and skim the
dross from your life—so you can “receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to
them that love him” (James 1:12). Nothing is impossible with God!
God is measuring, fitting, perfecting and readying His holy temple RIGHT NOW. God needs to
know whether or not you truly believe Him. He tests our faith and belief using trials; our actions
show Him whether we will live our lives in true submission to His laws, statutes and judgments
and if we will remain faithful regardless of our physical circumstances. There is not much time
left in this last hour to get it right with God!

Our Only Opportunity

Will God the Father and Jesus Christ—the God Family—allow dross in their eternal temple? No!
Notice: “Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and
iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus
saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the
midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst
of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my
fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the
fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of
the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have
poured out my fury upon you” (Ezekiel 22:18-22).
As the Passover season rushes up on us, think on this: If we fail to submit to our Refiner and
allow Him to CRUSH, WASH and MELT the sinful “dross” from our character now, we will ultimately
be forced to join the Laodiceans when God moves them, unbroken and unwashed, in a last-
ditch effort of mercy to see if they will allow Him to remove the dross from them and purify
them, straight into the smelting furnace of the Great Tribulation! No second chance remains for
us. THIS IS IT!
Those who submit to that final smelting and purifying process will be the ones who actually buy
from God gold tried in the fire in order to make them rich, along with white raiment to clothe
their spiritual nakedness (Revelation 3:18).
This Passover season, let us examine ourselves for dross—and meditate on the powerful
metaphor of these three necessary steps to having ourselves purified into fine gold.
 back to Alchemy table of contents

1.7 Gold
In heaven there is an upside down fountain.
In it a flame is burning day and night.
This flame is burning eternally
and does not need a wick or oil.
Day and night the flame is burning,
the entire year,
every season,
and does not know change.
Paltu Sahib

The attainment of rubedo, or redness, is symbolized by the transmutation into gold.

The alchemists often talk about ‘living gold’. The ‘living gold of the philosophers’ is
the pure fire that is in the philosopher’s stone, or in quicksilver, or in the root
humidity of nature which is completely penetrated by the fire. The living gold is the
fixated seed that vivifies the philosopher’s quicksilver and the matter of the stone,
that is the root humidity of metals. It is a light that is clothed by a perfect, pure
ethereal body. It all sounds mystifying, but read it again and know that the living
gold is actually pure consciousness, or pure awareness.
 (Actorum
Laboratoriichici Monacensis, seu Subterraneae, Johann Joachim Nercher,
Frankfurt, 1669)
The alchemist has been reborn as the Sun which is equal to Gold. He has been
enlightened, he has become light himself, and now he rules over the three
kingdoms of nature.

A description of what alchemists understood by the term gold is found in a

manuscript, called ‘La Lumiere sortant des Tenebres’ (The Light coming forth from
the Darkness) (remember that sulphur and gold are always about consciousness,
awareness): " The philosophers have given sulfur, or fire, the name gold not for
nothing, because it is truly gold both in essence and in substance, but much more
perfect than common gold. It is a gold that is completely sulfur, or rather a true
sulfur of gold, a gold that is entirely fire, or the true fire of gold that develops; in
philosophical caves and mines; a gold that cannot be changed or surpassed by any
element, because it is itself the master of elements; a very fixed gold in which is
only fixity; a very pure gold, because it is purity itself; a very powerful gold because
without it everything else pines away; a balsamy gold, because it preserves all
bodies against decomposition; an animal gold because it is the soul of elements of
the entire lower nature; a vegetable gold, because it is the principle of the entire
vegetation; a mineral gold, because it is sulfury, quicksilvery, and salty; an ethereal
gold, because it is of heavenly nature and it is a true earthly heaven that is veiled
by another heaven; finally it is a solar gold, because it is the rightful son of the Sun
and the true Sun of Nature; its power gives force to the elements of which the
warmth vivifies the souls and of which the movement of the entire Nature is brought
into movement; from its influence the power of things arises, because it is the
influence of the light, a part of the heavens, the lower Sun and the Light of Nature,
without which even science would be blind; without its warmth reason would be
stupid; without its rays imagination would be dead; without its influences spirit is
sterile; and without its light intellect renaming in eternal darkness."
Sometimes the alchemists talk about three kinds of gold. The first one is an astral
gold, the center of which is in the Sun, it transfers this gold by its rays and with its
light at the same time to all the lower planets. It is a fiery substance and it is a
constant emanation from the stellar bodies, which permeates the entire universe.
Space, the atmosphere on the planets, and the planetary bodies themselves are
completely filled with it. We constantly absorb this astral gold by our breath. The
astral gold particles then spread themselves all over our bodies. This alchemical
description corresponds very well with what is called ‘prana’ in the eastern
philosophies.
The second kind is the elementary gold. It is the purest and most fixated part of
the elements, and of all substances that are made thereof. All living beings of the
three nature realms have this priceless elementary gold within themselves. It is
also called the central fire of the earth.
The third kind is the common metal gold.
The alchemists also say that the elementary gold (pure consciousness) is the
philosopher’s stone made pure and perfect by the Great Work.
Gerhard Dorn (16th century) describes the alchemical gold as the divine, creative
influence present in all matter. "Gold is the medicine that in its original workings is
tempered by the art of alchemy, and therefore it can influence all other earthly and
material things in a positive way…Gold is the form that has been separated or taken
away from its exterior body, and it is so penetrating that by its heavenly form, it
influences every exterior thing. Gold is the divine seed that is concealed in all
things, not only in metals, but in all material things, and it can be made visible by
heating. And just like in the beginning, when God created the world and had a
creative influence on matter, with this gold (that you have obtained from matter)
you have that which repeats Gods' creative work - with that you have a little bit in
your own hand. With this, from God derived power, one can create and transform
things. Gold has its power because it has the virtue of being one. Even vegetable
things can bring forth a medicine that one can use in this manner."

1.8 The Philosopher’s Stone

You will not find
the philosopher’s stone
until you are perfect.
Grillot de Givry
As there is oil in sesame seed
and a spark in flint
thus your Beloved is in your body.
Wake it if you can.
As the pupil is in the eye
so is the creator in the body.
The fool does not know this secret
and runs outside
looking for it in vain.
That what you seek
is in the four corners of the earth.
It is inside,
you do not see it,
because it lives behind the veils of illusion.
Kabir Sahib

From the 12th century on alchemists talked about an ‘agens’ that is necessary for
the transmutation. This agens had many names but the most well-known is the
‘philosopher’s stone’. Other names are: the philosophical powder, the great elixir,
the quintessence. This philospher’s stone could transmute metals into gold. In the
Great Work, the philosopher’s stone is man himself, being at the beginning of the
Great Work, or at the very end of it. In general the stone is the universal spirit,
present in everything that has been created, and thus also in the alchemist himself.

Descriptions of it are many and not always the same. Paracelsus called it fixed and
dark red; Berigard of Pisa said that its color is that of poppies, Raymond Lulle said
that its color resembled that of carbuncles; Helvetius claimed that it was brilliant
yellow. Although many alchemists gave their own, and often contradicting
descriptions, Khalid summed it up as "The stone unifies in itself all colors. It is
white, red, yellow, heavenly blue and green." The transmutation is a highly
personal process, and thus each alchemist is having a different view on it. Some
alchemists were talking about physical substances.
The philosopher’s stone is a symbol of perfect man, the end result of the
philosophical work. Although it is often connected with quicksilver and sulfur, the
philosopher’s stone is difficult to describe with words. We just do not have the
proper language for it. "One has never been able to understand what the ancient
philosophers meant with the philosopher’s stone. One can not answer this question
before one realizes that the alchemists directed their attention on something from
the unconscious. Only the psychology of the unconscious can explain the secret.
The theory of the unconscious teaches us that as long as this projection is directed
onto that something, it remains inaccessible. Therefore the works of the ancient
alchemists reveal so little of the secret of alchemy." (Carl Gustav Jung). One should
also consider that alchemists often used symbolic language. Symbols are means to
convey information, but it demands a whole different approach of understanding,
something we have difficulty with in out modern society.
"Almost everybody who has heard about the philosopher’s stone and its power,
asks where it can be found. The philosopher always answers twofold. First, they
say that Adam has taken the philosopher’s stone with him from Paradise, and that
it is now present within you, within me, and within everybody, and that the birds
of far countries has taken it with them. Second, the philosophers answer that it can
be found in the earth, in the mountains, in the air and in the river. Now what way
should one seek? To me, both ways; but each way has its own way." (Michael
Maier, 1617).
"The philosopher’s stone is first and for all the creation of man by himself, that is
the entire conquest of his potentials and his future; it is especially the complete
liberation of his will, that will give him the absolute rulership over the Azoth and
the realm of magnetism, that is the absolute power over the universal magnetic
force." (Eliphas Levi, 19th century).
The philosopher’s stone is also present in the Grail legends. There it is the grail
chalice filled with chivalrous and good deeds, that will give back the fertility to the
realm of the King. The King in these legends is our higher self, our divine self, the
spirit, the heavenly man or Adam Kadmon, that had been cast down into the earthy
worlds. Finding this stone, or the divine in oneself and working on oneself to bring
it to the surface, will give us access to the Palace of the King. Wolfram von
Eschenbach called the Grail a precious stone and the bearer of rich fruit of Wisdom
and Purity.
The philosopher’s stone can also be seen in relation to the life force. On some
alchemical engravings water flows out of a stone. The stone is the philosopher’s
stone which is the source of the elixir of life ‘the is like fire but flows like water".
We all have it within us.

Meister Eckhart once met a beautiful young boy.

He asked him where he came from.
"From God", he answered.
"Where did you leave him?"
"In virtuous hearts."
"Where do you want to go?"
"To God."
"Where do you find him?"
"Where I left all creations."
"What are you?"
"A King."
"Where is your kingdom?"
"In my heart."
"Be aware that nobody shares this with you."
"I am."
Then Meister Eckhart brought him into his cell:
"Take any robe you want."
"Then I would not be a King anymore."
And he disappeared.
It was God himself.
And he had made a joke with him.

1.9 The Elixir and the Tincture

He who drinks from the water
that I will give him
will never be thirsty anymore
because the water that comes from the divine
will become like a spring in them
rising to eternal life.
The Gospel of the Holy Twelve, 28:10

In alchemical terms, the body is reduced into a quicksilver water from which the
elixir is then made. In other words a vivifying spirit is made. The elixir is the same
as the philosopher’s stone, but the alchemists use the term elixir to talk primarily
about its energetic and healing properties.
According to some alchemists, the elixir is the second phase in the Great Work,
while the tincture is the third phase. As the second phase is albedo, or whiteness,
the tincture is also called white tincture. It is the state of cooked or digested matter
that has now gained a white color. When it is projected onto metals it changes
them into silver. It is a medicine for plants and minerals. We are talking here about
a purified spirit (of man) that, although it is only in the second stage, is already
healing to body and soul.
The red elixir corresponds with the third phase, rubedo or redness. The red elixir is
the perfect stone. The Arab alchemists just called it elixir, meaning ‘yeast’. Yeast
makes dough rise, what in the philosophical sense means ‘multiplication’. In
relation to the elixir, it makes spiritual energy multiply and therefore it works in a
healing way in living beings. The elixir cures all ailments, and makes all imperfect
metals (like the organs, cells…) perfect (it makes them healthy again).
The term tincture is used for its penetrating quality. The tincture is the last degree
of transmutation of the natural bodies. It brings all imperfect things to their
perfection. Paracelsus calls the tincture a very noble substance that colors all
metallic and human bodies, and changes them in a much better essence. It
penetrates all bodies and let them ‘rise’ as with yeast.

(Rosarium philosophorum, Frankfurt, 1550)

The tincture or elixir is sometimes also depicted as the water of life flowing forth
from a fountain, the fountain of youth.

Artephius (12th century) wrote in his ‘Secret Book’ that he had been living for a
thousand years due to the elixir. Similar statements were done by other alchemists.
It is said that the well-known Comte de Saint-German (17th-18th century) did not
age because of the elixir. Remember this is not about a physical substance, but it
is the divine energy within the alchemist that has been brought forward and that
keeps the body young.
It always has been a strong idea that there was some kind of liquid, or drink that
could prolong the life span and give the body a (near) immortality. Unfortunately
common man took this often literally and tried to create a physical liquid. This
liquid, or water of life, is a symbolic term for what is present within man himself.
In the ancient scriptures of the Hindus (the vedas and the Puranas) one finds the
 concept of Amrita. Amrita is the drink or food of the gods. It is the food that gives
immortality. It was made out of the ocean of milk. The Greek gods drank Ambrosia
or Nektar, which had the same characteristics.
The alchemists and cabalists speak of the water of life in terms of for example the
Ab-e-Hyat or ‘prickling, fiery essence’. More commonly it is called the ‘alkahest’ or
common solvent. The alchemist makes his tincture by purifying his body, his
emotions and his thoughts, until he identifies himself with his divine essence. When
the divine essence has been realized, the water of life pours forth and takes away
all remaining dross, leaving pure gold.
The elixir or tincture makes a new man from the alchemist. He is reborn and
immortal. He partakes of divine wisdom and unity with the Source of all. He has
become a heavenly king.

Gold as Symbol
“There are realms of gold hidden deep in the human heart”
Hindu proverb
Gold has a symbolic value and a psychological appeal that stretches across the cultures of
history. Gold is a common metaphor in many of the world’s languages. As a metaphor, it points
to what is superlative in all things human. Indeed, gold symbolizes what is purest, most
excellent, most noble, most enduring, most sought after, most ideal and most valued in terms
of human aspirations, human behaviour and human relationships.
Until very recently, gold was considered to be the most valuable of metals. This explains why
the metaphorical use of “gold” has become so deeply embedded in human language. From an
economic perspective, gold is no longer the most valuable metal yet it retains its power as a
metaphor for what is most valued in human experience.
It is therefore no surprise that the Golden Rule contains a “gold” metaphor – after all, some
consider the Golden Rule to be the most universal of moral principles.
 Examining the Symbolic Meanings of Gold
The purpose of the chart below is to shed further light on the symbolic meaning of gold. It
features 3 categories:
A. Symbolic meanings: values, qualities or characteristics which gold symbolizes.
B. Popular expressions: some of the numerous expressions that refer to “gold”.
C. Uses and qualities of gold: uses and qualities (actual or implied) of gold.

Click here to view and print this table as a PDF document.

Symbolic meanings Popular expressions Uses and qualities of Gold
 integrity “she is as good as gold””a heart  since ancient times, gold has
 compassion of gold””he’s worth his weight in been a measure of value and
 generosity gold” wealth in numerous cultures
 goodness  gold is found in a relatively
“pure” state in nature
 excellence “going for the gold””I struck  gold is the most “precious” of
 the best gold””a golden voice””everything metals
 the ultimate he touches turns to gold”  gold is the “perfect” metal
 what is most sought after “O, to wear a crown of gold” gold is sometimes described
 what is most valued as the “superior” metal
 in sports and other fields,
excellence is awarded with a
“gold medal”
 what is most safeguarded “that’s like trying to break into  gold, given its great worth
 what is most protected Fort Knox” and value, needs to be
secured from the threat of
theft
 brilliance “her face shone like gold””it  gold is a bright, yellow,
 light glitters like gold” metallic and luminous metal
 illumination
 warmth
 spiritual realities
 maturity “the golden years””a heart of  gold is found in a relatively
 purity gold” “pure” form in nature
 gold, like all metals, must
undergo a process of
“refinement”
 gold’s physical
incorruptibility gives it great
“endurance”
 utopia “the golden age”  the word “gold” is sometimes
 ideal existence used to describe periods in
history – past or future – that
 are characterized by peace,
abundance, achievement,
order, freedom and idealism
 wealth “I struck gold””a heart of gold””it since ancient times, gold has
 success was like discovering a gold been a measure of value and
mine””golden opportunity”
 prosperity wealth in numerous cultures
 abundance “the Midas touch”  gold is the most “precious” of
 good fortune metals
 power “O, to wear a crown of gold!”  gold has often adorned the
 authority crowns of kings and rulers

Other Symbolic Meanings of Gold

Gold as “incorruptible”
Gold is impervious to nature and does not rust, tarnish or dull with time. In numerous cultures
throughout history, this physical quality of gold has been a symbol for a number of realities that
include:
timelessness, changelessness, paradise, heaven, celestial truths, eternity, spiritual realities,
incorruptibility, immortality, imperishability, permanence
In the history of religions, gold has both symbolized and embodied “the imperishable”. In many
cultures, including that of ancient Egypt, the dead were encased in gold to symbolize the hopes
and expectations of eternal life. The life of the dead, it was believed, would be as enduring as
gold.
In many traditions, images of religious figures and icons are gold or gold-leafed. In temples and
houses of worship of various religions, gold is often prominent and is representative of the
truths – pure, eternal, incorruptible and celestial – that are believed to be embodied there. An
example is the Golden Temple (Sikh) in Amritsar, India.
In some traditions, heaven or paradise is portrayed using “gold” imagery: “The streets of
heaven are paved with gold.” In ancient China, gold was identified with heaven.
Gold is therefore a symbol for sacred space as well as for sacred time (“the golden age”).
Gold and Spiritual Illumination
Gold is a bright, yellow, metallic and luminous metal. These physical qualities symbolize
illumination, light and brilliance. Gold can also symbolize illumination, light and enlightenment
in a spiritual sense. For example, the gold sections of the robes of Tibetan Buddhist monks
symbolize spiritual enlightenment.
 “To become gold is to become light,
and the light in this precise sense is Truth itself”.
Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sufi Teacher, 1882-1927
The term “the Buddha” means the one who became enlightened, the one who woke up, the
one who achieved spiritual illumination. The Buddha is frequently portrayed in gold. One of the
most impressive examples is the huge image of the Buddha found in the Wat Traimit in
Bangkok, Thailand – an image made entirely of gold.
Perfection
Gold is sometimes referred to as the “perfect” metal and is a symbol of perfection in the realms
of the material, the physical, the mental and the spiritual

The Golden Rule – A Universal Standard

Throughout most of human history, gold has been the most prized of elements. Since ancient
times, it has served as a medium of exchange between individuals and between nations. In fact,
from 1870 to 1914 the world followed “the gold standard.” During this period, the world’s
currencies were based on gold.
Gold is no longer a universal monetary standard. But it continues to set a universal ethical
standard. The Golden Rule is arguably the most consistent and most universal ethical principle
in history. Known also as the Ethic of Reciprocity, the Golden Rule finds expression in numerous
cultures, religions, ethical systems, and secular philosophies. And because the Golden Rule
crosses so many traditions and philosophies, it possesses tremendous moral authority and
reveals a profound unity underlying the diversity of human experience.
The Golden Rule, with roots in a wide range of the world’s cultures, is well suited to be a global
standard in resolving conflicts. As the world becomes more and more a single interacting global
community, the need for such a common standard is becoming more urgent.
How, then, is one to measure the value of the “gold” in the Golden Rule? The Golden Rule
expresses values that are universal and timeless. It challenges everyone to aim for the “gold
medal” in all things human. Indeed, some have argued that the Golden Rule is the universal
standard by which all human behaviour is to be judged.
“We have committed the golden rule to memory; let us now commit it to life”.
Edwin Markham, American poet (1852-1940)