What’s it all about?
A symbol of humanity and divinity intersecting, with the soul at the center,the Rose Cross image has been around a long time. It speaks to the science of alchemy as well as mysticism and the occult. We are not the first to use this ancient symbol. What is all the fuss (and attraction)about a rose on a cross? What do its symbols mean? It doesn’t represent Christianity, the cross is definitely NOT the one Yeshua died on. Explore these two websites and then answer the following question. http://www.crcsite.org/index.htm http://www.crcsite.org/Symbolism.htm [Both links work, but the lead to top secret websites, so you have to copy and paste the link into your browser. Then voila, you can access the pages]
Question: Write a few paragraphs telling what you know about the Rose Cross symbol itself and its true meaning, both original meaning and how it is perceived today. And, how might it have been viewed by early Kristians or in Yeshua’s day? Post your answers to your Ning Member Files R+C Studyhall “discussion”.
Exercise: Please perform the following Rose Cross Incense Ritual at least twice on two different occasions and send a report to the Order on your Ning Member Files R+C page. Tell how it went, if and what you were trying to accomplish anything specific with the ritual, date and time performed, phase of moon, impressions, comments, etc.
The Rose Cross Incense Ritual
(the version we use is adapted from DMK’sModernMagick as used by the Golden Dawn over 100 years ago)
Supplies needed: a stick of incense and a way to light it is all you need. An incense holder is nice, though, once you’re done the simple rite.
The Rose Cross Incense Ritual can be used as a clergy working to raise consciousness of humankind’s connections to the Divine. Be an Awakener by helping to wake up the world to its divine birthright. People are lost in the dross of materialistic existence. Symbolic archetypal tracings such as the ones done in this exercise pierce into the spiritual realm, the unseen realm, and help to”re-program” things.
Although the Rose Cross ritual is not a part of the daily rites assigned by the Order, it is nonetheless an excellent and easy to perform ritual that you will probably find yourself using quite frequently.
There are several main reasons to perform the Rose Cross Incense ritual:
1) The Rose Cross ritual is an excellent banishment ritual, although it differs from the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. [also called the LBRP, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is a famous High Magick ritual originally used by the Golden Dawn a century ago in Britain. The LBRP was later picked up by almost all occultists and art magickians, as some of them call themselves. Modern Golden Dawn groups still perform it, also. To find the LBRP on line, go here: Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram Instructions
The LBRP gives protection by lighting up the astral plane around you, but the Rose Cross ritual works like a curtain containing your aura. If this was Star Trek and your body was a starship, the LBRP would be like putting up your shields, while the Rose Cross ritual would be like being “cloaked”. Of course, this ritual does not impart true physical invisibility, nor does it imply that people who are specifically looking for you won’t find you, but if people are not looking for you in particular you will probably be ignored, thus giving you some of the effects of invisibility.
2) This ritual calls forth your Higher Self and is an outstanding preparation for meditation work, particularly meditation work used in a problem-solving capacity.
3) This ritual is extremely protective in areas of “negative psychic vibration”where it is impossible or extremely difficult to remove the influence itself.Performing the Rose Cross will buffer you from this energy and protect you from the “invasion” of the negativity into your psychic body or astral self.It can also be used by proxy for a friend or loved one in need of similar protection and healing.
Now, to begin the ritual, prepare yourself with the YHVH breath chant as given in the Catechumen Lessons. If it is appropriate, perform the LBRP. Your tool for this ritual is a lit stick of incense. Any scent you like will do, although rose scented is appropriate.
Step 4: Go to the southeast (SE) corner of your area and look away from the center of your circle. Make a large cross and circle as shown below:
As you form the circle (the rose), vibrate the God name Yeh-hah-shu-ah. You should finish the syllable “shu” as you finish the circle. On the syllable”ah” you should stab the center of the circle with the lit tip of the incense,at the point where the arms of the symbol cross, and feel the energy going out and charging the symbol.
Step 5: Point the incense to the center of the cross. Keeping the lit point of the incense on that level, move to the southwest (SW). Make the cross and rose and stab the center. As before, vibrate: Yeh-hah-shu-ah.
Step 6: Repeat the process, only this time move to the northwest (NW).
Step 7: Repeat, moving to the northeast (NE).
Step 8: In a similar manner, move to the SE, completing the circle. Do not reform the rose cross figure or vibrate the word.
Step 9: Again, pointing to the center of the cross in the SE, turn to face the direction diagonally across the room, the NW. Now bring your incense stick high into the air and walk toward the NW. In the center of the room,stop and make the Rose Cross above your head while vibrating the Name as before. Point to the center of the figure, and with the incense still high in the air, move to the NEW corner. Bring the top of the incense to the intersecting arms of the cross which you have already created in this corner.Do not reform the figure or vibrate the Name here.
Step 10: Now move back to the SE, but with the incense held at arm’s length pointing down toward the ground. Stop in the middle of your area and forma Rose Cross and vibrate the name below you, still pointing at the ground.Point again with the incense to the center of this cross, and with the stick pointing down, move to the SE and bring the top of the incense to the interlacing bars of the cross which you have already formulated at that corner. Do not redraw the Rose and Cross or vibrate the name in this corner.
Step 11: Point to the center of the SE cross, then walk in a clockwise direction to the SW corner. Do not redraw the Rose and Cross, but as you point to the center of the Cross, re-vibrate the Name.
Step 12: With the incense held above your head, move diagonally to the NE.Stop at the middle to re-vibrate the word without reforming that symbol above your head. When you reach the NE, point to the center of the figure that is already there, then hold the incense with the lit point down and move back to the SW. Of course, stop at the center to re-vibrate the name below you.
Step 13: Point to the center of the cross here in the SW. Keeping the incense on this level, go in a clockwise direction around the circle, pointing to the center of each cross. Do not remake the figure or vibrate the Name. Go from the SW to the NW to the SE and return to the SW.
Step 14: When you return to the SW, rest the point of the incense for a moment at the center of the cross. Then, remake the cross, only do it in a bigger size, as big as you can make it. Make the circle bigger, too. As you slowly for the bottom half of the circle, vibrate Yeh-heh-shu-ah. As you form the top half of the circle vibrate Yeh-hoh-vah-shah.
Step 15: Now go to the center of your area, face east, and visualize the six Rosy Crosses around, above and below you. The crosses should be golden in color, and the lines connecting them between the corners and above and below should be brilliant white. The “roses” should be bright red. Thus,you should have a protective “sphere” all around you.
Step 16: Perform now the Analysis of the Key Word from the Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram (BRH) using the instructions given below. The BRH is a hundred year old Golden Dawn ritual and the Key Word part (below) is just a part of it. The Golden Dawn founders always referred to their order as a Rosicrucian “Society”. They were also into hermeticism, a pre-christian Egyptian and Greek classical philosophy-meets-paganism, as well as esoteric Christianity. Be sure to involve body, mind, spirit and soul when you do this short “analysis” rite. (That’s why all the hand gestures,candles, and incense! Gets the body and the senses involved.)
ANALYSIS OF THE KEY WORD RITUAL
Say meaningfully:
I N R I
Yud, Nun, Raish, Yud
The sign of Osiris slain.
As you say the letters in Hebrew (the second line of the above verbalization),draw them, from right to left, in front of you. Use the tip of your wand or your right index finger. The letters are formed from top to bottom. As you draw them, visualize them in bright blue flames. They look like this:
Now form the letter “L” by raising your right hand straight up from the shoulder.The stick of incense should be pointing up. This is similar to the position of the right arm of the magician card in the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, except that the arm should be straight up. Your left hand should be straight out to the side, palm forward. Look at your left hand with you head slightly bowed. Say meaningfully:
L…the sign of the mourning of Isis.
Raise the arms to a position over your head so that they form an angle of about 60 degrees. This makes the letter “V.” The palms should be facing one another. Tilt your head back and look up. Say meaningfully:
V…the sign of Typhon and Apophis.
Bow cross your arms on your chest, right over left. Your finger tips should be just touching your shoulders. This forms the letter “X”. Bow your head.Say meaningfully:
X…the sign of Osiris risen.
Now, form each letter, saying the name of each letter as you do so. This is followed by the word they spell which is pronounced to rhyme with the word “boots”:
L…V…X….LUX
At the word “light” in the following statement, spread your arms and look forward. Then re-cross the arms as before and bow your head while saying meaningfully:
The light…of the cross.
Again return to the first position, arms out to the sides, looking forward.Say meaningfully:
Virgo, Isis, mighty Mother,
Scorpio, Apophis, Destroyer,
Sol, Osiris, Slain and Risen…
Gradually raise your arms towards the “V” position while slowly raising your head. As you do, say meaningfully:
Isis, Apophis, Osiris…
By the time your hands reach the “V” position, you should be looking up at the level you did the first time you formed this sign. Vibrate:
IAO (pronounced eeeeeeeeee-aaaaaaaaahhhh-oooooooohhhhhhh)
Take a few seconds to aspire to the light (LVX), then through visualization draw it down over your head and down to your feet. When you can feel this beginning to happen, say meaningfully:
Let the Divine Light Descend!
Feel it cover you and further purify you so that you become positive enough to exist without negative or positive influences around you. If you wish,you may relax in this state for a few minutes before continuing with the ritual.
It is done.
Although once you become familiar with this ritual it isn’t very complicated,the number of steps here can seem daunting. Here is a diagram to help you note the positions for each step until it becomes second nature:
Notes: If it feels right, you may omit the analysis of the Key Word, which is Step16 above. Instead of directing this ritual toward the East, you may face the direction from which you think danger may be coming. As a group working, let one person do this entire ritual while everyone else sits on chairs inside the area where the ritual is performed. Be sure that there is room for the ritualist to make the diagonal, cross-area movements.
