The Rosy Cross: A Footnote.

 

The Rosy Cross: A Footnote.

 

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

 

I am a microcosm, or the pentagram. My aim is to unite with the macrocosm, or the hexagram. This is a tough enquiry: Which one of the symbols best reflects this union? The allegory of the royal wedding is certainly worth considering, as well as the hexagram. But for me it is the Light of the Cross, the L.V.X. and of course L.V.X. formulates the Rosy Cross. I am the microcosm, and the world is the macrocosm, however, so is the infinity of space and all of its galaxies, planets and stars. Once a magician has perfected his elemental structure, his Soul is raised in a vertical line to unite with his angel and this raising of his Soul seems to be active as well as passive in nature, and the attainment is determined by the readiness of a magician, thus the ascent depends on Grace. Although this Grace is only attained via the agency of devotion, this inference is simply made from my understanding of the nature of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. The Grace is the Dove, the Shekinah and the most accurate term for its attainment is Agape. Hence, we now have the vertical line of the cross, with the Shekinah flooding the Soul of the magician and Agape is evoked in the heart of the aspirant. Agape then becomes active as Thelema or simply Will and symbolized by the Serpent which from its uncoiling Hadit expands horizontally into the world around him as well as vertically. The vertical expansion relates to his devotion and that which has led him to this, the horizontal expansion is associated with the world and is less personal, wherefrom union is attained with the totality of nature and is not particularly associated with the work and devotion of the magician. From my understanding then, there is a type of necessity generated through this dealing with the divine that leaves the aspirant grasping, so to speak, which is probably a bad way of saying it, but anyway, a grasping for closeness with the world and those around him, as for the first time he perhaps feels truly alone. As far as I can tell, this is the way in which the Rosy Cross is formulated and union between the microcosm and the macrocosm is attained. Once union is attained there is a separation again as Hadit contracts to formulate the Rose, the Rose is Nuit, and the Cross is Hadit. Once the symbol has been formulated, the Rose starts to expand again, thus linking the Cross to itself to maintain their connection. The union must then be the symbol of the Rose with 22 petals in the centre of the cross, as symbolic of Nuit and Hadit attributed to the heart and Love, thus completing the symbol that is suggestive of the Great Work.

So, once the pentagram is animated by the Shekinah it becomes the Christ, so to speak, hence the formula, yod-he-shin-vau-he, which is a symbol of the union presented in this essay. Another important point to remember and is depicted memorably vivid in the allegory of Jesus’ crucifixion, is that an adept will need to experience death in order to be reborn. This could be hinting at the horizontal expansion of the Cross of Light. As stated earlier, this union is not sought but forced as the result of the Shekinah’s influence. In other words, one will need to survive hell before being reborn as Osiris or the Christ. What is indicated, I believe is the marriage, the Royal Wedding, between Heaven and Earth, but more along the lines of the royal marriage between an adept and the universe, and here noting the world’s immediacy. It is worth pointing out that in Orphic theology the Shekinah is both Juno and Vesta, Juno who is the world and Vesta symbolic of Spirit or the Shekinah proper as we understand it. Thus, they represent the horizontal and vertical lines and the relationship, which is reestablished, forming an important part of the ordeal. Vesta is the closest link to Rhea, who is Babalon above the Abyss and Vesta is accordingly Babalon below the Abyss, ergo Juno is Babalon on Earth or in Malkuth below Tiphareth. And they are all manifestations of Nuit to whom we must dedicate our devotion. Rhea is associated with the Forms of Platonism, Vesta forms our link to these via her being associated with our unique relationship to the Forms, thus she is the feminine embodiment of one's ideal of perfection. Since Vesta is associated with that which one pledges his devotion, and logically, she is the easiest to fully unite with, however for the ego to regain balance and to fully realize the Great Work, it must reestablish its relationship with Juno. Hence, the reestablishment or refiguration of self is the ordeal of hell, depicted in the fable of Jesus, before he was reborn to prove his godliness, he had to forego heaven and went to hell for three days. Please excuse these Christian allegories, they just seem to be the easiest way to make sense of what the symbols mean? The symbols here are the formula of I.A.O., L.V.X. and the Rosy Cross, and from this Agape finds its place in the formula.

 “Love is the law, love under will.”