One reason alchemical language is so obscure and contradictory is because it was developed, in part, to describe psychological and physical changes involving states of consciousness that totally defy description. Only a few of these states, such as the "peacock's tail," can be deemed objective; hence the impossibility of simple, straightforward terms, and the reluctance to color the reader's expectations overmuch. The mystical artwork of the alchemists- arguably why their legacy survives- better communicates the truth than do the innumerable tracts on antimony, sulfur, and the like.