What really do the cross and the rose signify? What is behind these mystical symbols? Is it just an ancient religious Christian symbol that most people believe in? The Cross as a symbol is both universal and of the distant past. It predates Christianity, existing in the earlier Egyptian, Celtic, Phoenician and Roman cultures. Variations of the cross are also found in the cultures of the early American Indians and Hindus.  Some historians even note that prehistoric man, who was primitive and unintelligent, made cross markings on his implements.  Therefore, humans used it since ancient times as a symbol without any religious significance.

The cross may have first become an icon when, at sunrise, a man stood facing the sun, his arms fully extended at his sides in a gesture of solemn adoration to the solar manifestation of the Divine.  His body cast a shadow on the ground, and this shadow had the shape of the cross.  Since then, the cross  became a mystical symbol signifying man, particularly man in adoration of the Divine.

The rose with its beauty and sweetness represents life itself.  Having the rose at the heart of the cross symbolizes the Inner Man, the spiritual and eternal essence of the human being.  This Inner Man  has been variously referred to as the Soul, the Divine Master Within, the Inner Self, and the Divine Spark.  When the rose is in full bloom, it signifies that the Inner Man is fully awakened, hence, allowing the divine to manifest in the person.

The above picture of the Hermetic Cross is a variation of the Rose Cross, which evolved from the ancient Egyptian esoteric cross, the ankh.  Each symbol of the Hermetic Cross is rich in esoteric and mystical meanings which are revealed in our teachings.