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

The Rose Cross originated as a Christian symbol in the first century, as a symbol of the blood of Christ.

The rose and cross later was later adopted as the primary emblem of the Rosicrucians, an esoteric secret society that originated during the Renaissance. The rose symbolized the redemptive power of the blood of Christ; the symbol as a whole illustrated the triumph of spirit over matter. A deeper, hidden significance of the symbol is the union of the rose of Mary with the Cross of Christ, the union of the divine feminine with the divine masculine.

According to Rosicrucian philosophers, the whole Rosicrucian philosophy could be found within the symbol.

The rose cross was adopted as a Hermetic occult symbol during the Middle ages, and was later popularized by the Nineteenth century magical order the Golden Dawn.

The esoteric meaning of the cross is quite similar to the original; the cross symbolizes the material plane, and the cycle of death and rebirth. The rose represents the unfolding nature of spiritual growth. When the equal armed cross is employed, it has a secret significance: the word lux, or light, can be found hidden in its arms.

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.

Images of the Rose Cross

More about the symbolism of the rosy cross

Golden Dawn Rose used in sigil creation

Related Symbols:

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.