Introduction to the Hermetic Rose Cross

“As one coming from the South and the brilliant light of noon, with full knowledge of nature and active communion with God, I now go toward the North into the fog and, abandoning at every step a piece of myself, giving way, diminishing at each stop, leaving a little more light for you, a little more clarity and warmth, a little more vitality, until the end of my journey when the Rose blossoms in its fullness on the cross. I am Cagliostro…”

Introduction

The Rose Cross unites the material and the spiritual. It is a harmonious integration of all aspects of life. While it is inherently Western, its ideas are universal. An example is the lotus flower, which, like the Rose, signifies purity and enlightenment.

Basic Breakdown

The cross is the material world and the human body. It stands for reconciliation of opposites and is one of the most ancient symbols predicting Christianity. The cross signifies fertility and eternal life in ancient traditions like Egypt. It is a precursor to creation: the rose blooming in the center. Besides beauty and love, the latter is associated with the Christian Virgin Mary. The Rose symbolizes perfection resulting from spiritual development and culminating in the unfolding of spiritual consciousness. 

Rosicrucianism

The Rose Cross is mainly associated with Rosicrucianism. Emerging in the seventeenth century, the Rosicrucian Manifestos, Fama Fraternitatis, and Confessio Fraternitatis claim the symbol represents a ‘secret society.’ This includes alchemists, theosophists, and mystics. 

Invisible College

Defined as an ‘Invisible College,’ this Rosicrucian Brotherhood aimed to pursue spiritual wisdom and knowledge. To stay adequate, Religion must follow the race’s evolution. So, the ‘Invisible College‘ strived to prepare Christianity for a new phase. It is said the same was founded by Christian Rosenkreutz. Yet many believe the movement’s roots can’t be traced as they originated in Antiquity.

Christian Rosenkreutz

Rosenkreutz is a legendary, often called mythical figure. Pivotal to numerous seekers, his story became the central myth of the Rosicrucian tradition. And this includes the Golden Dawn as its most practical order. Rosenkreutz represents the ultimate adept. It is the person embarking on a self-transformation journey searching for higher knowledge, truths, and meaning. Like Rosenkreutz shared that he learned from sages and mystics, such a person helps others by sharing their wisdom. And that matches the included Cagliostro quote very well. Let me know if you agree.

Children of Light

Paracelsus described the Rose Cross’s adepts as (paraphrasing) immortals exalted to God. The German philosopher Karl von Eckartshausen defines them as ‘Children of Light’ without tolerance for mystification and secrecy. He also called them ‘light-bringers in the Temple governed by GOD.’ I.e., the ‘Invisible College.’ Others view them as geniuses from all walks of life.

Micro and Macrocosm

Lectures of the Rosicrucian Order of AMORC provide one ‘basic’ explication of the Rose Cross. The smaller and bigger crosses represent the micro and macrocosm. 

Comment 1

IMHO, this alludes to the fact that Western Esotericism places the individual in the center of the universe, which is their life. So self-help (likely partially) is onto something by emphasizing one as the ‘most important person’ in their life since their life is no longer without them. Let me know if you agree.

Spirit and Matter

The Rose Cross conveys that spiritual enlightenment is intimately connected and not separated from the material world. It communicates that a ‘true’ spiritual journey leads to a deeper understanding of the physical world. It also increases awareness of one’s ‘true place’ in it. And as Dion Fortune says, Spirit and Matter are like water and ice, the two states of the same thing.

Comment 2

Unlike Eastern mystics, Western magicians/practical occultists seek to conquer matter, not retreat from it. Emphasized in Mystical Qabalah, such a perspective is best expressed in modern approaches. Namely, not waiting to get enlightened so you can do practical work. But using that to put yourself in a position where enlightenment is accessible and affordable. Also, by having illuminating, mystical experiences after doing ‘practical work’ and (actively) taking action… in the world of action. Complementing each other, these are the approaches I follow and two reasons for liking the Rose Cross so much. Let me know if you agree.

Tiphereth

The Rose Cross and the Tree of Life contain all correspondences of Western Magick. Like the truncated pyramid, the Calvary Cross, and the cube, the Rose Cross symbolizes Tiphereth, the sun sphere, which is the whole Tree of Life center. As a vessel for the higher consciousness and home of all sacrificial gods (symbolized by the cross), Tiphereth is the opposites’ reconciliation. It is the sixth sephirah, whereas the cross is an unfolded six-sided cube. This alludes to Tiphereth’s function of the form’s first foreshadowing, as the cube is the simplest solid form. 

A Magickal Weapon

Magickal weapons suggest the force to the operator’s imagination. Like elemental ones have their places, the Rose Cross lamen is Tiphereth’s weapon. It hangs at the solar plexus of the Adeptus Minor. Signified by 5=6, the last means one is accepted in the inner order, Rosae Rubae et Aurea Crucis. And the solar plexus is associated with Tiphereth. Containing all elements, the Rose Cross represents the operation’s spiritual aspect and Archangel. The elemental weapon symbolizes the force operating in its sphere and brought down through call. Given that, the Rose Cross correlates to all practical operations. ‘

The Elements are not their physical counterparts. They are principles behind ev erything, as everything 

possesses degrees of their characteristics. 

The Beginning

Each Rose Cross has a tiny white dot in the center. Pretty important, the same is the symbol’s starting point, representing the universe’s beginning. Some view it as the three veils of Negative Existence. Or as their crystalization discussed in my post on the Sephiroth.

The Cube

The white dot contains a cube creating three dimensions: up-down, front-back, and left-right. It also forms seven positions, including the center and the six sides, becoming the earlier mentioned squares. While that’s a twelve-edged figure, adding the dimensions, the sides, and the edges gives twenty-two. 

The Basis for Everything

Twenty-two is the number of Hebrew letters, symbolizing the basis for everything. The reason is that Qabalah views Divinity as speaking things into existence. Initially latent, the potentiality of everything (the cube) eventually unpacks into manifestation. It often is likened to an acorn holding the potential of other oak trees. And based on my research, the origin of this comparison is Kabbalah Unveiled. In the same, MacGregor Mathers equates the Sephiroth to acorns containing oaks.

Inner Gold

The unpacked cube is a golden cross. It is made of six squares and has a smaller rose in its center. The latter has five petals associated with the human being, as five represent human fingers, senses, and limbs. This positioning communicates that five (the microcosm) emerge(s) from six (the macrocosm). And they remain in a permanent relationship… like spiritual and material. 

Eleven

Equating five with six also shows the attainment of the Great Work, which unites the subject (the magician, five) with their object of desire (the Angel, six). Then, the figure is neither six nor five but eleven, which is the number of Magick and the Thelemic goddess Nuit.

Thelema

In Thelemic cosmogony, the Rose symbolizes Nuit, the boundless star goddess stretching infinitely. The cross is Hadit, the ultimate focal point in the center. According to Crowley, adepts must align themselves with these symbols to achieve the mystical union of opposites, leading to spiritual fulfillment. As mentioned in other videos, Tiphereth represents this stage. It is the ultimate equilibrium, such as the goal of all magickal operations. And as found in Crowley’s Book Four. 

“…the object of any magick ceremony is to unite the Macrocosm and the Microcosm. (…) As in optics, the angles of incidence and reflection are equal. You must get your Macrocosm and Microcosm exactly balanced, vertically and horizontally, or the images will not coincide…”

— Aleister Crowley Book 4. 

Pure Being

The miniature Rose in the Rose Cross is the ultimate existence, bridging the gap between domains. It’s regarded as a ‘pure being’ sourcing everything. Hence, it may be speculated the same is Kether. This is supported by the concept that Kether is undivided unity beyond duality. Especially since there’s no separation between individuals and the whole in the small rose stage. And though that’s static, its four thorns represent space, time, position, and dimension… establishing. 

Rosa Mundi

The Bigger Rose in the Rose Cross is called Rosa Mundi (the Rose of the world). Regarded as the key to interpreting nature’s forces, the same overflows with symbolism. Rosa Mundi includes the Hebrew Alphabet and the Sephiroth, representing the thirty-two paths of the Tree of Life, as the sephiroth are paths, too. And as found in a second, the petals’ grouping mirrors three, seven, and twelve. 

Mother Letters

Expanding from the pure being, Rosa Mundi starts with its three big petals, containing the three mother letters. Representing the primal elements: fire, water, and air, these correspond to the fool, the hanged man, and Aeon/judgment cards, such as paths 11, 23, and 31. Red, blue, and yellow are considered ‘primary colors.’ So, the petals’ backgrounds symbolize the elements.

Double Letters

The mid-sized petals include the seven double letters. Comprised of them, the second circle represents cards: the Magus (or Magician), the High Priestess, the Empress, Fortune or Wheel of Fortune, the Tower, and the Universe (or World). The same group corresponds to paths 12, 13, 14, 21, 27, 30, and 32. And besides that, the second circle holds the seven classical planets: Mercury, Sun, Venus, Moon, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter.

Single Letters

The ‘smallest’ petals are the highest in the count. Besides the so-called single letters, these house the twelve zodiac signs, attributing to paths 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, and 29. Also to cards Star, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Adjustment, Hermit, Devil, Death, Emperor, Art or Temperance, Moon.

Sigil Magick

The Rose Cross can serve as a tool for constructing sigils based on various aims. This employs its ‘bigger’ Rose element. Like sigils of archangels, angels, and ‘intelligencies,’ these start and finish with a small circle and line. Ascribed to the position of the first letter in the Rose, the former declares the start of the word (and thus the sigil). The second signifies the end, marking the place of the last letter. While the technique is similar to magick circles, Hebrew can be transliterated. So, any word can be created and used for charging objects.

The Bigger Cross

Like the smaller one, the bigger cross represents an unfolded cube. Hence, the miniature composition is reflected by the bigger one. Whereas the former associates with potentiality, the second stands for manifestation. It also expresses YHVH and the four Qabalistic worlds.

The Four Qabalistic Worlds 

YHVH conveys manifestation’s four-stage process. It also maps to the Tree of Life, which grows top-to-bottom and roots in the heavens. Being the most abstract, the first stage (or world) is the archetypal of Atziluth. Referred to as the highest Divinity, this one is represented by Yud. Attributed to Heh, the second is Briyah, or the creative, housing archangels and ideas. The third is Yetzirah, which corresponds to Vau and is home to angels and formation. Lastly comes Assiah, the physical world of action and intelligencies, represented by the second Heh. 

The Four Parts of the Soul

Microcosmically, YHVH represents the four parts of the soul. Chia, the life force and will; Neshamah, the spiritual super-consciousness and understanding; Ruach, the intellect and day-to-day consciousness; and the Nephesh and G’uph, the animal soul and physical body. 

Elements

Like YHVH, the Rose Cross contains the elements of ancient philosophy. Yud is fire, Heh is water, Vau is air, and the second Heh is earth. The elements are not their physical counterparts. They symbolize everything, as (theoretically) everything combines one or more of them, possessing degrees of their characteristics. And as stressed in magickal books, they are not the map but the territory. 

Tarot Suits

Also matching YHVH, Tarot’s divisions live in the Rose Cross. Wands are Yud, fire, and red; cups are Heh, water, and blue; swords are Vau, air, and yellow; and pentacles are the second Heh with the earth colors. Meaning the Rose Cross contains elements and suits in its extremities. Though that’s not shown explicitly. 

Fourfold Nature

Yud also stands for kings (or knights). The same applies to the Heh and queens, Vau and princes, and the second Heh and princesses. Therefore, the Tarot shows how the Divine’s fourfold nature is reflected in the human soul. 

Spirit

Underneath Rosa Mundi, a square represents Spirit with the hexagram and the planets ordering. It also includes ARARITA (kinda low-key), like the petals do elemental, planetary, and zodiacal signs. To learn more about ARARITA, check my Lesser Hexagram video and cheat sheet. Placed there, Spirit brings order, preventing everything from falling apart. Some scholars regard Spirit as the fifth element. Others claim it’s not an element but manifests/expresses itself via different elemental ordering and proportions. So, understanding spirit is only possible through knowing the Elements. 

Comments and Speculations

The extended cross may be viewed as expressing YHVH (explicitly). Fire and water interact on one line, whereas air and earth on another. The king and the queen have sex, creating the prince and the princess, who repeat and become the king and the queen. It is a never-ending process of renovation and transmutation.  Spirit is in the center, emanating and mediating between all. It’s a horizontal and vertical elemental couple with spirit in the center. It resembles the Pentagramatton (Yehashuah), which groups the elements similarly to the Rose Cross by placing Shin between the same couples. 

Imaginary Circle

Seen as a circle, the outer cross displays the elements’ gradual transition/transformation. That’s based on their ‘density’ or ‘mutual qualities’ recognized by Aristotle. Fire is dry and hot, Air hot and moist, Water is wet and cold, and Earth is cold and dry. With a bit of imagination, this can (also) be viewed as a never-ending cycle. Perhaps complementing the former, this one suggests permanent yet gradual renovation. Such reflections may lead to thinking the cross displays renovation through revolution, whereas the circle one through evolution. Let me know if you agree.

Other Devices

And if you do, you’ll find the Rose Cross reflects other devices in the Western Tradition. Examples include the Enochian tablets, MacGregor Mathers’ Golden Dawn, and the Thelemic drawing of pentagrams, the Solar adorations, such as the bornless invocation, particularly: “On dry land, and in the water, of whirling air and of rushing fire…” To learn about Golden Dawn pentagrams, watch my Supreme Pentagram video. And get the cheat sheet.

Pentagrams 

Besides the microcosm, the pentagrams represent the court cards. Namely, their four-plus-one-fold nature inherited by the elements. This expresses that each element has different qualities. The court cards attribute to fire, water, air, and earth. Aces — to quintessence or spirit. It is also that the Ace contains all others, like spirit includes the elements, and similar to Kether holding the potentiality of all other spheres. Therefore, the Ace has all court cards, including the suit’s and the element’s different aspects. For example: “Ace of wands, quintessence of fire encompasses king of wands: fire of fire, queen of wands: water of fire, prince of wands: air of fire and princess of wands: earth of fire.”  

Elemental Tablets

A similar dynamic is found in the Elemental tablets and the Tablet of Union. The Tablet of Union rules the four others, which, according to the Golden Dawn, are the Great Table reformed by Raphael. In the case of wands, BITOM (quintessence of fire) is the Ace of Wands containing the entire fire tablet with its four quadrants. These correlate to the element’s different aspects and the suit. B is Spirit and Ace, I is Air and prince, T is Water and queen, O is Earth and princes, and M is fire and king. The Ace is in the center of the elemental tablet. The king, queen, prince, and princes — in the corresponding sub-quarters, and the thirty-six small cards correspond to the great cross dividing each tablet. 

Rays and Subquarters

Like the Tarot, the Rose Cross’s and thus magickal pentagrams’ ordering mimics almost precisely that of the elemental tablets with quintessence in the center and the elements in the corresponding rays and subquarters. Let me know if you want a video on that.

Expansion and Synthesis

The three upper extremities of the Rose Cross are in Golden Dawn’s flashing colors. The exception is only the lowest one attributed to Earth. This one is divided into black, russet, citrine, and olive. Besides the first, these are (basically) different (darker) variations of (the primal) red, blue, and yellow. This is because Earth contains portions of all other elements. The muddier combinations suggest the element’s denser energies. Alongside black, they are synthesized after the Light of the white dot produced all others. It expands from the ‘no-thing’ into everything, then narrows, shrinks, and reflects into the earth.

The Crown is in the Kingdom

As the Golden Dawn says, Malkuth synthesizes all other spheres (and reactions in the Tree). It’s their finishing line, according to Dion Fortune. The Rose Cross follows the same principle. The white pentagram conveys that though lower, the material world has commonalities with the highest, as it contains portions of everything. This recalls the notion that spirit and matter remain intrinsically connected. 

Comment

Another way to think of it is this: potentially expands into the whole picture, and then the final result, which inevitably contains it, is Earth. So spirit still prevails in the Kingdom of the Shades, facilitating which is the goal of the Western Magician. From such a perspective, the Rose Cross may have something in common with the inverted pentagram. The reason is that both display spirit descending into matter… and perhaps shrinking. And as they say, the crown is in the Kingdom, and the Kingdom is in the crown. 

Alchemy

According to the Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn (paraphrasing), alchemy aims to uncover inner wisdom while removing veils and obstacles between the mind and the divine. Next to the pentagrams are the three alchemical symbols of Salt, Sulfur, and Mercury. Often considered an undivided whole, these are called by Paracelsus the ‘Three Primes.’ They correspond to Fire, Water, and Air, depending on who you ask. Like the elements, alchemical symbols are not their chemistry counterparts. They are principles operating in everything.

The Three Primes

Sulfur is volatile and expansive, symbolizing the life-motivating urge. As the principle of compulsibility, Sulfur is associated with the burning desire for positive change. It is derived from Mercury, which it stabilizes and comes back to. Salt is a heavy substance, part of all metals’ nature. It also grounds Sulfur and Mercury. Quicksilver or Mercury permeates everything living. It is the initiating principle behind all alchemy and transmutation. Also the one of fusibility. While this deserves a separate post, the Rose Cross has the alchemy symbols ordered differently. Each section has one predominant and two balanced accordingly. Apparently, the centered one dominates, based on the element’s nature.

The Three Gunas

Sulfur symbolizes things’ energy, while Mercury and Salt their fluidity and fixity. Crowley attributes them to Hinduism’s three Gunas. Sattva embodies the essence of Mercury. It signifies tranquility, serenity, and clarity. Rajas is akin to Sulphur and represents activity, excitement, and fierceness. Tamas resembles Salt, embodying heaviness, thickness, and darkness.

VITRIOL

Together, the Three Primes form the symbol Vitriol, which represents transformation and purification. VITRIOL is an acronym derived from the Latin phrase “Visita Interiora Terrae Invenies Occultum Lapidem.” It means “Visit the interior of the Earth and by rectification find the hidden stone.” It explains that inner exploration and enlightenment lead to the philosopher’s stone.

Confronting the Ignorance

Salt or Tamas is associated with descending into the depths of one’s being, confronting the darkness, ignorance, and impurities. It is the stage of deep reflection and taking inventory of one’s tangible and intangible assets. 

Fiery Purification

Corresponding to Sulfur and Rajas, the second stage is fiery purification and transformation. Its goal is eliminating impurities, refining character, and cultivating good virtues. One may say swapping self-destructive for productive-and-life-affirming habits occurs in this stage. The same is governed by one’s high will and determination. 

The Philosopher’s Stone

Lastly comes the Mercury, Sattva stage. It symbolizes the purified and enlightened consciousness resulting from realizing one’s true nature. So, the philosopher stone is the wisdom and integration of one’s higher genius, often symbolized by gold, which all matches the meanings of earlier-discussed aspects of the Rose Cross.

Big Thorns

Behind the outer Rose Cross spread eight large thorns, divided into ‘bigger’ and ‘tiny’ fours. The first includes INRI. In Hebrew, these are the initials of the elements: Iaminim (Water), Nour (Fire), Ruach (Air), and Iebschah (Earth). In Latin, INRI stands for Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum, which in English translates into Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. INRI is also interpreted as ‘Igne Natura Renovatur Integra, or ‘By Fire, Nature is Renewed.’ Also, as ‘Igne Nitrum Roris Invenitur.’ This means ‘By fire, the niter or of the dew is discovered.

Scorpio, Virgo, and Sun

In Hebrew, INRI becomes Yud Nun Resh Yud, read right to left. The letters correspond to the twentieth, twenty-fourth, and thirtieth paths associated with Virgo, Scorpio, and the Sun. In that manner, each sigil is behind its corresponding letter. Virgo is the first and last, whereas Scorpio and the Sun are the second and third. 

Small Thorns

INRI is associated with IAO, the gnostic’s ultimate deity. This finds a home in the small thorns of the big Rose Cross. That’s alongside LVX, an additional ‘I’ and ‘X’ or cavalry cross. IAO embodies the birth-death-rebirth principle sometimes attributed to thesis-antithesis-synthesis. Being one of sacrifice, IAO held the magickal formula of the Aeon of Osiris, the dying GOD. It tells the myth of Osiris (O), born, killed, and redeemed by his wife, Isis (I).

On the contrary, Set, who isn’t Apophis (A) but actually fights it, killed Osiris. Not Apophis/Typhon. Given that, the placement doesn’t symbolize Osiris’s actual killer. It represents the second stage, the passage to the underworld. Osiris is also associated with the Golden Dawn student, aiming to reach Adeptus Minor, of which the LVX are signs and the Rose Cross the weapon. 

Final Words

Complementing the Tree of Life, the Rose Cross is jampacked with symbolism, each of which deserves a separate post. So, I am open to suggestions. Together, the two symbols convey all correspondences of Western Magick. And I think you should have both on your wall(s). But that’s just my opinion. Let me know if you agree, such as your thoughts on this video.