"Third Orbiting" is an iconic depiction of the ouroboros or dragon of chaos which has it's roots in the earth of cosmic materia prima. It is the dragon that grows from the philosopher's tree. United in it are the powers of six elemental metals which are represented here as orbs. The double headed eagle symbolizes the fixed and volatile components of matter. The ourobous as serpent or dragon appears frequently in mythology, alchemy, and mysticism across cultures and throughout history. It is an important representation of continuity.

The surface is built up with many thin layers of oil glazes and drawings in ink. The process is reminiscent of palimpsest (from the Greek palimpsestos ('scraped again') often seen in illuminated manuscripts. A palimpsest is reused writing support material from which the underlying text has been erased (by washing in the case of papyrus and by using pumice or other scraping devices in the case of parchment). Erasure was not always complete and an underlying text would often bleed through of could be read with the assistance of ultraviolet light.