Art here also represents the art of alchemy, a metaphorical process by which the soul is transformed into greater union with the universe. What to the outside world was perceived as the transformation of lead into gold, those that understood its complex symbolism knew that it was also a way of describing the path towards self-actualization. The process of alchemy, in short, involves taking materials, purifying them, and re-creating them anew. The reappearance of the divine masculine and feminine as represented in the Emperor and Empress signal once again the union of opposites, but this time, they are purified, parts of a more perfect whole. By meeting Death and cutting away of all those things that no longer serve him, the Fool is now purified and can create something of even more immense beauty.