Dwtw
There are four ordeals associated with the Book, which are described in language that appears to be increasingly 'majestic' for lack of a better term. To me, this indicates that each step in this process is part of a holarchy, i.e., each ordeal reveals the Book as a whole which is simultaneously a part of a greater whole on the next level.
In a holarchy, each successive level both includes and transcends its predecessors, and may also negate aspects of the previous level. This is similar to software upgrades, where a new version can work with files from an older version, but may make some functions obsolete, as they are superseded by 'better' functionality at the higher level.
From this standpoint, the revelations of the 'silver' level would be subsumed in the 'gold' level, making them to some degree less applicable to that level. One is reminded of captions where Crowley indicated 'Book X is true up to the level of Adeptus Exemptus'. Beyond that level, it is no longer 'true' in the same sense, for the Magister Templi.
This increasing level of meaning/awareness/understanding of the Book contributes to disagreements as to the 'meaning' of passages to each individual. It therefore becomes necessary to find some indication of what ordeal a Thelemite exegete has undergone in order to understand how they will explain the meaning of particular verses.
Another complication arises when one considers an explanation such as the one I'm attempting to give. Since each level of the holarchy reveals a more 'exalted' meaning to the Book, from which level can we discuss this increase in meaning and depth?
If one begins with the simple dictionary definitions of the words, and their typical associations, then from the beginning level of the Fool who 'understandeth it not', the Book has increasing levels of meaning - silver to gold to precious stones to ultimate sparks... But this is as far a one can discuss it from that level. One cannot say what the 'silver ordeal' really entails, or what meaning it gives the Book, until one has passed through that ordeal. Then a description/explanation of the Book can be given from the 'silver' plateau.
But at each plateau, it will always be true that there are successive levels of depth/meaning to the Book. It's just that from the lower level, the higher cannot yet be described with any accuracy.
So, from the initial 'foolish' perspective, the four levels seem to relate to the steps from Malkut to Yesod (silver/moon), then to Tiferet (gold/sun), then to Keter (precious stones), then to the Ain Sof (ultimate sparks). This seems obvious from the symbolism, standing here in Malkut before beginning the ordeals. This symbolism and wording is the 'given'. We are simply told there are four levels/ordeals. Their nature is not explained in detail, and cannot be understood until they are experienced. But the symbolism gives us important clues as we start out on this journey.
After passing one ordeal, the symbolism of silver, gold, etc may change to something else, and so on for the next levels. The following is not supposed to be dogmatic, just speculative: perhaps at the 'silver' level the four ordeals will represent the successive cards of the Tarot - Moon/Sun/Aeon/Universe. Then at the 'gold' level, the four levels may indicate the four 'worlds' of the Kabbalah (Assiah, Yetirah, Beriya, Atzilut). Then at the 'stones of precious water' level, the four ordeals might be Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis, Transcendence. The final level of 'ultimate sparks' may show the four levels as Divide, Add, Multiply, Understand.
The point is that the ordeals will impart broader and deeper meaning/understanding, and may entail abandonment of explanations that held true at lower levels, as well as acquisition of gnosis that makes those lower levels even more explicable and understandable.
Litlluw
RLG