Related Terms • Golden Dawn Cross • Rose Cross Lamen • Adar • Unicursal hexagram Related Resources • Hermetic Tradition • Historical interest • Alchemy • Esoteric Kabbalah • Rosicrucianism   Glossaries  • Symbol Glossary • Alternative Religions Glossary • Glossary of Magick and the Occult

The cinquefoil (from the french, five-part) is a five petalled rose found in Christian symbolism of the Middle Ages. The five-petalled rose is often found affixed to the tops of Gothic arches, the vesica pisces-shaped doorways and windows thought to represent the womb of Mary. Some historians have speculated that the rose in Gothic architecture is a secret symbol of the feminine principle, one of a multitude of hermetic symbols found in these churches.

The symbol itself dates back to Roman times, where it was called the "Rose of Venus." The rose, with its characteristic five petalled shape mimicked the pentagrammatic path traced by the planet Venus in the night sky. This, combined with the flower's natural beauty, made it an obvious symbol of the Goddess of love. Aleister Crowley combined the rose emblem with the unicursal hexagram to symbolize the divine union, and the magical number eleven. Tracing between the petals reveals a perfect pentagram.

Related Symbols:

Related Resources:

• Rosicrucianism
  The Rosicrucians are the fabled Hermetic brotherhood of the Renaissance.
• 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.