The first part of the book, written in a single, uninterrupted flow of inspiration, takes the form of answers from the word of nature to questions posed by the rational mind. The second part of the book consists of philosophical reflections on the first and proposes the practice of imagination as a way of evolutionary development. Many traditions have spoken of a higher consciousness, but Schwaller de Lubicz's attempt to formulate in modern terms an alchemical science of qualities, functions, analogies and signatures is unique.

Table of Contents:
Symbol and the Symbolic
"Ancient Egypt, Science, and the Evolution of Consciousness "
Translator's Preface
Illustrator's Preface
Preface
Notes on Modern Thought
Symbolic Modes
Symbol-Synthesis
Innate Knowledge (Summary)
The Principle of the Present Moment
The Discontinuous Object in the Continuous Present
Relationship is the Symbol of Being
The Crossing: Principle of Evocation
The Symbol as Expression of a Will
The Symbolic
Conclusion
Epilogue

R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz (1887-1961), was one of the most important philosophers, mathematicians, and Egyptologists of the 20th century. His elucidation of the temple at Luxor and his presentation of the Egyptian understanding of a special quality of innate consciousness form a bridge that links the sacred science of the Ancients to its rediscovery in our own time.