Related Terms : • Golden Dawn Cross • Rose Cross Lamen • sigil • hexagram

Related Resources:

• Hermetic Tradition • Historical interest • Alchemy • The Tarot

Glossaries : • Symbol Glossary • Alternative Religions Glossary • Glossary of Magick and the Occult

Alternative Religion/ features/ Alternative Religions Glossary / Dictionary of Symbols

Definition: The Rose Cross is a Christian symbol originating in the first century- the rose symbolizing the blood of Christ. It was adopted as a Hermetic occult symbol during the English Renaissance and was popularized by the Nineteenth century magical order the Golden Dawn. The cross symbolizes resurrection and rebirth; the rose, the unfolding nature of spiritual growth. In the Golden Dawn, the rose also functioned as a device for creating sigils, with twenty two petals representing the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Related Resources:

The Tarot
The tarot has had a long and storied relationship with the Hermetic tradition, where it transcends its mundane use as a divination device and becomes a tool for spiritual pathworking.

Hermetic Texts
Traditional Hermetic texts- the Emerald tablet, the Corpus Hermeticum, more.

Mystery Schools and orders
Mystery schools and initiatory orders in the Hermetic tradition- the Masons, the Golden Dawn, Crowley's OTO, etc.

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