THE HISTORICA!.

BACKGROUND AND AM EXPLANATIOM OF

THE SECRET SYMBOLS OF THE RQSICRUCIAHS

by
Orval Graves, F. R. C.
Librarían, Rosicrucian Research Library

Copyright 1942
by
The Supreme Granel Lodge of A.H.O.R.C.
 Introduction
by
The 8upreme Secretary of AMORC
Symbols have many times contained the key to knotvledge* Throughout
historyi man has used symbols to exprese his findings and emotionst
These symbole have varied from a crude combination of linee and curves
tó the elabórate alphabets of various races of people»
We fail to realize that symbolB are not only a thlng of the past— they
are a llving evidence of man's existence on earth* ae long ae they sur-
vive» The very language in which this discourse is presented—the let-
ters, vorde and sentenees which you now read—are no more than éyrabols
used as a médium to convey Information,. These symbols Beem compara-
tively simple t o a l l who are familiar with the Latin alphabet and the
English language* They will eeem very strange , at any fuiure date, to
a race which may have lost the key to the meaning of the various let-
tere and combinations thereof, In other words t the simplicity of
symbolism is not inherent within the symbol itBelf, but within the
knowledge on the part of the individual of the particular symbolism
used. :So it is that as many other groups contain a meaning— a mean^-
ing which wa.8 •simple to the originator of the symbol, but which needs
the key of knowledge on the part of he who examines the symbol iri order
to obtain from it the meaning vrhich it was in tended to convey—within
theBe symbols we will find the wisdom of the ages, the aocumulated
knowledge which the savants of the past recorded for posterity« We
are fortúnate to have preserved the symbolism itself in "The Secret
Symbols óf the Hosicrucians", and we are fortúnate to have the fuíl
discourse which makes it possible for the modern Rosicrucian to study
these symbols in the light of his or her Rosicrucian knowledge.
The Research, which has brought together this Information, is here pre­
sented and will serve you as the key to teach you the inner meaning of
these symbols and open the way for your intuitive abilities to read
into the symbol the full meaning placed in it by Its creator.
C. A. P.
ft # * « *

Part I
Most Cosmic irevelations and spiritual wisdom come to man in the form
of. symbols* From time immemorial the human race has been interested
iri BymbolÍ6m* Today anthropologists', philologists, historians, psy-
chologists, and mystical and occult students help to keep, alive this
eternal Intereet in Bymbolism, However» it is not symbolism in gen­
eral v i th which this artiole deals, but rathér the great putstanding
work on Roeiorucian Bymbolism entitled "Secret Symbols of the Roeicru-
oianB»" Because of its length, this treatiee on the "Secret Symbols
of the RoslcruciansM will be divided into two parts. Part I will dis-
CUBS the first publio appearances of the Rosicrucian symbols, the
■various editions óf the workj and tht textual nvatter will be explain-
ed and eummari 2üed« Part II will deal with an explanatíon of the
thirty-Bix myBtical symbols themselves»
 Page Two
Moet Rosicruoians have heard of the "Secret Symbols of the Rosicru-
cians" either through the writings of D r * Franz Hartmann, or through
the wrltinge of Dr* H* Spencer Lewis, asdisBeminated through the
variouB roedla of the Roaicrucian Order. Its importance cannot be
overeetimátedí It is one of the rarest of occult manuscripte in ex-
istence today* It I b an extreraely valuable work for Roslcrucíans,
and has been glven such ñames as the Roeicruclan instruotlon book,
an A-B-C book for raystics and philosophere, and a great phllosophical
pillar* It ranks with the Roélcruoian manifeBtoB of the "Fama Fra-
ternltatis,11 the "Confessio Fraternltatis," the "Chemical Nuptials"
of Christian Rosenkreuz, and the 11Themls Aurea" of Michael Maier, all
of which ehould be read by the roember who has the courage to cali him-
eelf a true Rosicrucian etudent« TheBe worke are all available in the
Rosicrucian Research Library*
In hie preface to the AMORG edition of the "Secret SymbolB of the Rosi­
crucian 8, " D r é H* Spencer Lewie elaborates upon the valué of thiB great
work tb the bibliography and literature of Rosicrucianism, The help
and encouragément which Dr*. Lewie gave to the publieher, which result-
ed in the first complete translation of the "Secret SymbolB," ranks as
óne of the highlights in his work in Rosicrucianism, for this parti­
cular edition of the work is now considered the best reference on the
subject of.Rosicrucian symbols in the English language* The text of
the forewórd in this book makes reference to the fact> which we have
already Btatedj that the "Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians" is ex-
tremely valuable} that the textual material is alchemical in naturej
that the work itself claims on its title pages to be taken from a
more ancient manuscript which was considered of great importance to
the Order* An attempt at a bibliographical treatment is glvenj where-
in are .mentioned some> but not all, of the editions of the "Secret
Symbols of the Rosicrucians." At the end of the Bibliography the pub-
li8her has given a list of books which contain important reference b to
the "Secret Symbols." All of these references may be found and ueed
in the Rosicrucian Research Library* Needlees to say, the other refer­
ences quotéd as source material and research material have been avail­
able to the Research Library at headquarters, either through the vast
quantity of íare vxorks, incunabula, out-of-prlnt books, photoetats,
manuscripts, etc., plus a number of dther works obtained from the
Library of CongreBB and from friends of the Order who had lived abroad*
A very famous chemist, Andrea LibaviuB* who lived in Europe from 1560
to 1618, at first ridiculed alohemy and the teachings of Paracelsus*
Later he not only becarne an ardent student of Paracelsus > but virote an
extreraely valuable Work on alchemy, "Alcheraia," which was published ln
1606, Naturally, his contact with the teachings of Paracelsus ac-
quainted, hini with the literature of the Ros icruc ians* Hie attltude
toward the Rosicrucians at firet was the same as it had been.toward
alchemy, but later he publlcly admitted the existence of the Ros1eru-
cians, proclaimed hie connection with thern, and lauded them for their
wonderful oontributions to mankind. So much vías Libavius a defender of
the Ros ic ruó ians that in 1616 the Order released Through him Inv.ita-
tions to become members, a list of the advantagee to be gained by Join-
ing, and the promlnent use of the word Doma* This word Doma is the
 Page Three
Latín vord for house* It had already been used frequently in the
"Fama FraternitatiB" as a epecial eecret houee* Arnaud, the pioneer
French; Rosicrucian of Charlemagne's time* during hle vlsit to Egypt
reputedly became a inember of the 'Houee' of Wiedom at Cairo, Egypt,
Thl8 V/ord Doma, with periode after each letter—,D.O.M.A,—has been
used on a number,of allegorical and Rosicrucian works; in fact, it ie
used many times in our preeent edition of the "Secret Symbole of the
RoBicruciane." As initiale theee letters of the Latin word Doma stand
for the. four Latín word b i Deus (God), OptiBBimuB (the beet), Maximus
(greatéet), AltiesirnuB (highest).
The first group of eecret eymbole of the RoBicruciane given to the
world hád this word Doma prominent on the title page. The title wae
"Fhysica, Metaphyeica'and Hyperphysica," with the initials D.O.M.Á,
in Xárge type underneath the firBt three worde. The first time the
eecret Bymbols of the Ro8Ícrucian6 were grouped together in this
"Phy8icai i-ietaphyeica and Hyperphyeica”manuecript, there wae no
textual matter, Áeide from the* title page and five pages of terse
proverbial statements, the manusoript wae made up of twenty-two pagee
of 8éoret Symbolb . Severa! of theee manuscripta with colored eecret
Bymbols wére oirculated among the. officers of the Rosicruciane.
Johanries Kelplus, the first Rosicrucian Maater in America, brought a
copy óf this work to America with him. It later became the property
of Dr. JuliuB F. Sachse. Dr, H, Spencer Lewie posBeesed an oíd, frayed
and worn copy of this manuscript. Records of book collector salea in
the paet show ub that there was also a copy of this work in Russia,
anothér in France, and another in England during the twentiéth century.
Fufther prpdf of the Rosicrucian origin of thie first collection of the
eecret Bymbols of the Rosicrucians can be found, first, in the manu-
script iteélf, where freauent reference ls madé to the brotherhood of
the Rosy Cross as ite eource; and eecond, in many referencesto thie
work i.n the wrltingB of other Rosicrucians, euch ae Michael Maier,
Jacob Boehme, Robert Fludd, Hénry Khunrath, and a large number of al-
chemiBtB.
This manuscript, or collection of Rosicrucian eymbols, was improved
from time to time. The first addition to it seems to have been made
in a French edltlon» 1775, whlch Ib known in RoBicrucian hlstory as
the "French Variant of the Rosicrucian Secret Symbols." From this
versión wé have Píate # 3 6 , which was not in the oíd work above refer-
red to. In 1785-88 at Altona» Germany. there was published a limlted
Germán edition of the "Secret Symbole, This edition was presented
In book form with more Rosicrucian symbolb and the addltion of textual
matter concerning alchemy. The title of the work was very long, mak-
ing poeeibly five linee, It ls therefore known in Rosicrucian history
by thé first two words of the title, whlch are "Geheime Figuren," or*,
in English, "The Secret Symbols." This le the work whlch translated
into Engllsh ls known today as the "Beoret Bymbols of the Roeicruciare."
It ls distinctly etated on lts title page that It is oomposed of eecret.
Bymbole of the RoBicruoians of the sixteenth and eeventeenth centurles*
It wae published anonyinauBly, Further treatment and explanatlon wlll
be given later of lts English translation.
 Page Four
When the "Secret Bymbols of the Rosicrucians" was the subject of a
leeture in the Rosicrucian Research Library, December 5, 1941, there
wae on exhibit a well preserved and rare oíd copy of this Germán
edition. along with five other different edltions. This first edition
of the "Secret Symbole" ls one of many rare Rosicrucian works which
repose in the archives of AMORC, It eeems that the Germán edition of
this Work only turne up about once every hundred yeare. Dr, W, W,
Westcott, Rosicrucian acholar in England, possessed a copy; Eliphas
Levi, famoue Rosicrucian of France, possessed a copy, and Dr, H,
Spencer Lewis posseseed a copy at one time. Thie Germán edition of
the "Secret Symbols" was later reprinted in 1919. 'This 1919 facsímile
was an exact copy of the oíd original book and has become almoet as
valüáble as the one published in 1785-88. Gardner's "Blbliotheca
Roslcruciana" describes the "Gehelme Figuren" under his Rosicrucian
artlele #257.
The famoüs Rosicrucian, Dr. Franz Hartmann, waa very much lntereBted
irt Rosicrucian bibliography. He had some sort of strange adventure
in Bavaria during whlch he wae led to a copy of the Germán edition of
the "Secret. Symbols," whlch we have already referred to as the "Gehelme
Figuren" worki Dr* Hartmann praised the work very highly and gave an
extremely: interesting descripción of lts use. He later reprinted
twerity-five of the thirty-six symbole from the original Altona edition*
This Franz Hartmann edition was published at Boston, Massaohusetts, in
1888, by the Occult Publlshing Company. It was a large folio, 16% by
11 lnches, containing forty-five pages of text* Of the textual matter
the moet valuable le the flfteen page introduction. Dr. Hartmann has
left off the more technlcal part of the varlous alchemical texts, The
platee are colored exactly as were those of the Altona edition, or
"Gehelme Figuren." The Franz Hartmann edition whlch was on display in
the Rosicrucian Research Library was still in good condition, and it
was Very notioeable that the material was of excellent quality, par-
ticularly the boards of the back, whlch were stiff and heavy*. This
work origlnally sold for #6*00 a copy. Today collectors receive as
high as f 50.00 and as low as $25.00 a copy, depending upon the condi­
tion, for Franz Hartmann edltions,
Dr. Hartmann was aoquainted with Dr, Julius F é Sachse and had examined
Sachee's Rosicrucian manuscript, known as the "Physica, Metaphysica
and Hyperphysica" manuscript, However, Hartmann1s edition can nowhere
approach the Present AMORC edition of the "Secret Symbols of the Rosi-
crucians," whlch was published by tjie Arles Press in 1935* Under the
inspiration and guldance of Dr. H. Spencer Lewis the publlsher of the
Aries Prese had two fine Germán Bcholars transíate the Altona edition
df the Germán "Secret Symbols" book. This was then iBsued in several
álfferent priced edltions, the ^.50*00 edition, the $25.00 AMORC edition,
and the $15,00 edition. The first two of the se edltions had colored
platee, but the ^15.00 one and other less expensive edltions of later
isaue were In black and white with oheaper blndlngs. By far the moet
popular, and the one whlch sold the moet, was the AMORC edition, In­
ciden tally, the Roeicrucian Order, AMORC, now poseeeses full rights
and ownershlp to all of the platee of this English transíatlon of the
"Seorjst Symbols of the Rosicrucians,"
 Page Five
The Tltle page of the AMOR'C edition of the ‘
'Secret SymbolB of the
Roslcruciáns" reads as fdllowBt
The Teachings of the Roeloruclañe
of the 16th and 17th Centuries
Or
A S I M P L E ABC BOOKLET
For Young Students
Practising Daily in the School of the Holy Ghost
Made Olear to the Eyes by Pictorial Figures
For the Exerciees of the New Year
In The
Natural and Theologlcal Light
by a Brother of the Fraternity(CHRISTI )F.«F.é
(of the Rosy-Cíoss)
For the First Time Made Publio
and
VIth Severa! Figures of Similar Content Added by P>S,
Beneath this appear b a gold cross which will be despribed in detail
a little further on. Belov/ this is the following:

ALTONA
Printed and Published by Joh. Dav* Ad. Eckhardt,
Book-Printer to H. M* the King of Denraark,
Your .attention should be called to a few points in this title» First,
thé vord .eimpl» meana a olear and wholesome booklet, rather than an
easy bopklet* Second, the use of the three letters, A-B-C| has ref-
erence to an oíd meditation exercise# accordlng to the Rosicrucian,
KarI Welnfurter. This meditation exercise can be traoed back through
the inyetery schools of ancient history on dovm to the first mystery
eohools of Egypté Alfred Víeidman, a famous Egyptologist, has trans-
lated this meditation exercise in one of his works, In its modern use
this exercise is the one which is given to Rosicrucian merabers in the
early degrées for mentally going over their bodies from heels to head,
Third» t?he exercises of the New Year do not refer to the chronological
new year, bút rather to the new mode of life which the Rosicrucian
student has undertaken. Likewise,, the ecclesiastical terms such as
theologlcal and Holy Ghost had other meanings than those which we give
to them today,' Theologlcal meant spiritual and Holy Ghost referred to
spiritual power♦ Notice also the words, "With several figures of
similar content added by P.S4? These words are very importante as they
explain the addition of eight symbols to that group which was in the
Rosicrucijsui manuscript of secret symbols which belonged to Johannes
Kelpiu8i and later to Dr, Julius F, Sachse, known as "Physica* Heta-
physica and Hyperphysica.M Translated, this title meant physioal
world, éplrituál world, and the intermediary or gaseous world* Al-
chemicaily they meant salt, mercury and suphur*
 Paga Six
So much for the title* Beneath the title is a large golden oross with
the Ghriet figure in the oenter and a rose at the top* The Christ
figure meanb the mystlcal Ghrist within the heart of the dieoiple» out
of which comee the perfect rose or soul of the Rosicrucian,. ,The re is
a vast amount of literature dealing with the Byrabolism of the Vose and
the .cro.se * so much so that we do not propose to deal with it in this
vork. The Rosicrucian interprétation of the Rosy Cross is given in
our monographs. However, there are Borne things which can be Baid about
this croes which will prove enlightening where the interpretatlon of
the secret symbols is concerned. This golden and rosy cross le known
as the Coémic cross of the Order, It is a very powerful symbol for
spiritual meditation» Today all Masters of lodges and chaptere of the
Order weár thiH crosé when officiating. Its dimensions lead one to
believe it was sinillár to the encyclopedic alchemical Rosy Cross. In
his "Brotherhood of ‘ the Rosy Cross" YJaite hints at the ‘
fact that there
were alchemical symbolb on the back of this Rosy Cross. .Whether this
i 8 true or not is optional» However, it is true that an ünderstanding
of the symbols and of the original color scheme of the encyclopedio
alchemical Rosy Cross, as described on page 176c of the June, 1941 is-
Bue of "The Rosicrucian Forum" would help with the color scheme and
symbols as given in the "Secret Symbols of the Roslcruciáns»”
The next page of the book, page three, is taken up half with text and
half with a symbolic píate. • This textual matter is the first of four
texts in this work, There are thirty-six p í a t e s o f symbols and
eighteen pages of text. This first untitled prose text on page three
serves élb a sort of preface. The small square symbol at the top has
alchemical significance, as does the textual'matter below. The four
trlangles, two pointing upward and two pointing downward, with cine of
the downward and one of the upward triangles having a line drawn
through it paralleí to the base, stand for the four alchemical elemente
of air, earth, fire and water. In between these four triangles is an
oíd ¿lchemist seated in his laboratory. The .text, or so-called preface,
apparently deais with the material or physical side of alchemy. Actu-
ally, both the mystical or spiritual and material sides are dealt with*
Dr. Cari Gustav Jung, a psychological authority and psychological ex-
ponent of mysticism and occultism, says that mysticism cannot be ex-
plained except in alchemical terms. The text on pages three, four,
five and b í x gives a description of the various alchemical processes
nece8sary to produce the elixir* Thus the words such as tincture of
metalejherbs, first matter, three principies of sulphur, mercury and
salt# as given in this preface, may ^deal either with the physical
alchemy or spiritual alchemy, according to the discrimination of the
reader,
After this preface are ten elabórate platee in color, which are to be
described in Part 2* On page seventeen there appearB a circular symbol
with words in Latin around it, which say, ¿'The secret is found by ex-
ploríng theearth.M The symbols within this circle are principally al­
chemical ones, such as the sun and the moon being mixed in mercury to
reeult in the lion and the eagle, which two again treated result in
the philosopher1b stone. Below the Bymbol is the text of the famoue
emerald tablet of Hermee. This translation is the baois for our modern
 Page Seven
Hermetlcal teachlngs, It is very rare and íb one of the moet anoient
bits of wledom known to mankind. There are severa! stories explain^-
ing lis existence; hovever, the one which Pr. H. Spencer Lewis gives
in the September* 1927 issue of "The Mystlc Trlangle" íb as follows*.
"For instance, Alexander the Great found, in the Great Pyraraid of
Gdzeh, the Emerald Tablet. This famous tablet was engraved with a
diamond by the great Herraes, and contained the secret Hermetic and
Roeaecrúcian eecrets of alcbemy. It was originally hidden in the tomb
of Kermes by the Rosaecrucians to preserve for future generations the
knowledge they possessed."
Pages eighteen and nineteen are devoted to the octosyllabic poem ex-
plainlng this tablet of Kermes. Pages twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two
and twenty-three are taken up with the prose work called "The Golden
Age Restored," by Henricus Madathanus, whose real ñame was Count
Hadriánus Mynsicht. He was a doctor of medicine, a Rosicrucian al-
cheraist, and poet laureate in 1631 to the Duke of Meoklenburg,
As stated in the bibliographical notes to the AMORC edition of the
"Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians," this work had appeared in several
oíd Rosicrucian manuscripts previous to its addition at Altona in
1785^88 to the- "Physica, Metaphysica and Hyperphysica" manusci'ipt.
"The Golden Age Restored" is really an allegorical story which tells
of a dream and an awakenlng, but the action of the dream continúes in
the wakirig state. This waking state f or Golden Dáwn, aids the hero to
see more clearly the précious Jewels and stones which in his dream ap-.
peared to be rotten and smelly oíd rubbish, Thus when the Golden Age
of the world is restored many valuable and wonderful events will occur«
In the epilogue attached to "The Golden Age Restored"• the writer tells
of the actual alchemical work with metáis and a physical elixir. He
sayB hé cannot write too openly, but he does write that he has seen the
phlloBoiJher^fl stone, or that he has seen the elixir and used it* He
cióses by saying that the brethren of the triie Golden and Rosy Croes
are able to make, themselves , such hidden fruits of phllopphy and ,
natúre.
"The Golden Age Restored" is followed by thirteen colored plates which
are heavily inscribed within and without. This completes Book I of
the MSecret Symbols of the Rosicrucians." On page thirty-eight im-
mediátely fdllowing these thirteen plates is the proee,text called "A
Golden Treatise About the Philosopher* s Stone." This is one of the
moet valuable compendiums of alchemical truthB and spiritual parables
ever given t o •the public. It must not be confused with the lesser-
known work called "The Golden Tract of Kermes." Many Rosicrucian and
alchemical títudents who have spent years in the great librarles of
Európe have said that this Golden Treatise sume up all of the wisdom
both spiritual and physical# of alchemy. A chemistry professor at
the Ró8e-Crolx University has said that the secrets of preparing the
alohemist1s philosopher's stone are plainly told in this treatise.
Aleo, another Rosicrucian in Europe, who spent thirty years studying
the secret symbols of the Rosicrucians claims that this same treatise
posseBses transcendental spiritual truths.
 Page.Eight
"The Parjabola,11 which begine on page forty-five, ie of speoial im-
portance to RoBloruciane, as the etíldente of the higher degreea of
AMORC we11 know, This completes Part I of this treatise, which has
dealt with the hietorlcal background and the textual matter of the
"Secret Symbol b of the Roe icruc ians." Part 2 will deal with an ex­
plana t ion of the actual eyrabolB of this great work.
* # *

Part II
The AMORC Englieh translation is of much more valué than the Germán
Al tona edition, the French Variant edition, or even the copy which be-
longed to Kelpius and Smchse, This AMORC edition contalns an excel-
lent echólastic translation oT the words inscribed around the symbols,
Aleo, the AMORC edition contains four rare alchemical treatises and
eight more Rosicrucian eymbols than are found in the Kelpius copy*
Franz Hartmann1s edition, of course, does not even have all of the
Bymbols-of any of the older editions» Hartmann‘ b edition is lacking
aleo the eight additional symbol6 and is not complete in its treatment
of the alchemical textual matter. Therefore, anyone who possesees
this AMORC edition, or who has access to such a copy,has use of the
very acmé of all Rosicrucian works on symbols, not only in English,
but ln any language .
PLATE #7;
Symbol #7 Ib one of the original symbols of the older sixteenth century
Rosicrucian manuscript known as "Physica, Metaphyslca and Hyperphysica»
It corresponds to Píate #27 ln the first work. One of the oldeet Sym­
bol e of the Rosicrucians was the circle with the croes in the center.
In faot, Bome of the oíd books of Vaite and Hargrave Jennings show this
symbol on the outeide. Some of the Russian members wore this symbol
instead of the golden and roáy croes.
PLATE #8; n c
Symbol #8 was not in the older "Physica, Metaphysica and HyperphyBlcaw
Rosicrucian manuscript, but was taken from a Rosicrucian work written
by George Von Welling. This was published at the end of the Beven-
teenth century at Frankfort, under the title, "The Magical, Kabbalistic
and TheoBOphical WritingB." It has fifteen pages of very wonderful
Róeicrucian symbols* This symbol #8 represente three in one, also the
great divislons of salt, sulphur and mercytry* The Kabbalistic'tree of
life ie often repre8ented by circles within circles, These three
clrcles aleo repreeent the world of phyeica, metaphyeica and hyperphyei
ca. The hyperphysica is the middle matter whioh overlaps the world of
God and the world of Lucifer, or the physical world. This makes a very
good philoBOphical diagram for the explanation of the great philoBophi-
cal question of all time, which is, "How is the world of the Coemic
connected with the phyBical world?^ Incidentally, in his book Hargrave
Jenninge réproduced five platee from this same eource.
 Page Nlne
PIATE- #91 w r

This symbol is another Rosicrucian symbol of the seventeenth century

which was not in the older "Physica, Metaphysica and Hyperphyeica"
inanuecript. It is inepired by the work, "Kabbala Denudata," by C.K.
Von Rosenroth, published in 1677. It was illustrated with numerous
Kabbalistic trees and worlds. The Oíd Testament has a great deal to
sáy about the tree of good and evil. The oíd Hebrew testament is al so
•the orlgin of our Christian Kabbalistio philosophy. This is a typical
representation of the Christian Kabala as presented in Von Rosenroth1s
work. On one side is. good and on the other side is evil. They both
come from the same source* Notice the Kabbalistic hexagram where the
división occurs* and the signs of the Zodiac which encircle the earth,
representing the universe as being the ground into which the roots of
the tree are planted. Notice that the triangle with its point down­
ward is the one that .is on the side of good, This is one of the few
symbols that is falrly well explained; therefore, more need not be said
concerning it.
PIATE #10: K. ?
Píate #10 has ten symbols on it. You will note that they are very
beautiful in color. The nine symbols at the top of the píate are typi­
cal geometrical Rosicrucian symbols representing the various relation-
ships of the microcosm and macrocosm. The large square at the bottom
is called the Rose of Heaven, or sometimes a Solar Rose. This is the
Rosicrucian adaptation of Khunrath*s Solar Chriet, The average Rosi­
crucian has not yet completely grasped the concept of the Solar Christ;
or rathér, he is still partially heId with the idea of the historical
Christ.
PIATE #11; H9
Píate #11 is the famous symbol of the philoBopher1s mountain, It is
one of the eight seventeenth century symbols added to the group of
symbols given in Kelpius* copy* It is made after a similar symbol
which waB published in Germany in 1615 by Michel-Spacher. The right-
hand bottom córner of this symbol has the date 1604, which is the date
of the reopening of the sepulcher of the mythical Christian Rosenkreu*
120 yeare after his supposed death, This mythical Rosenkreuzj as is
alwayb the case, is comlng out of his tomb and re-entering upon the
Great Work. The spiritual and physical sides of alchemy are also in-
dicated by the various alchemical symbols, such as the lion, the green
dragón, the suh, the moon, etc. According to the text below this
symbol, the father metal is hidden somewhere in the symbol, and yet
is supposed to be visible to the keen eye. Spiritüally, this symbol
represents the body and the soul and the spiritual world> the mountain
being the body, the figure of the man in the doorway being the soul,
and the heavens above being the spiritual world.
 Page Ten
PLATE # 1 2 ! PC./*
Symbol #12 i8 aleo one of the eeventeenth .century symbols which was
taken dlreot from the Work of Jacob Boehme called "Mercy-Choice." It
was pübliehed in Europe in 1682. For anyone interested in Jacob
Boehme's worke this is an excellent symbol to study, for it contains
many principies of Boehme*s philosophy. It shows his belief in a
primitive eource of good and evil, free will, 'the emlnence of God,
and regeneration, both physically and morally, In the lower half of
the píate there are six circles around one inner circle. These rep-
reeent the seven principal metale of alchemy, the seven plañets of the
univeree, and the seven powers of nature, in Boehme1s phllosophy. The
top part of the píate also symbollzeB the great principie of oppp-
eitée— posltive and negative, mercy and severity, and the blaak and
white pillars of the Kabala and Freemasonryi
PLATE # 1 3 i p¿,,t
In this píate we have depicted the universal spiritual forcé known as
love or cohesion* This forcé is shown attracting and drawing as a
magnetic stone the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth; The
dew and the ;breath of heaven blqw upon the sunflower, which was the
product of the dew, heaven and fatness o f ‘
the earth. The sunflower,
known ae the first matter, in turn produces vitality, which is de-
pioted by the sun shining on the rose on one Bidé and the moon shining
on the lily on the other* The interaction of the essence of the rose
and lily with the power of the sun and the moon forma a triangle with
the point downward, which is known as the fountaln of wonders; Out of
this fouritain of wonders* or eleméntary substance, i8 continually given
off a peculiar liquid out of which are formed the metáis, the elements,
the plante, and aíl else upon the earth. The symbols of this misceí-
laneous group are depicted in the steam that will soon become solid.
PLATE #14: f>¿. i k

Píate #14 i8 really composed of the symbols that exist in the "Physica,
Metaphysica and HyperphyBica," the sixteenth century symbols manuscript,
on pages eeyen, eight and nine, Most of these figures are self-explan-
atory. If one cares to gó further into these particular symbols, he
can do so by referring to page 187 in Silberer's book, "Problems of
MyBticiBm and Its Symbolism." In the older manuscript the symbols were
ppread farther apart. The two rows on the left Bidé of the píate rep-
reBented the macrocosm and microcosm, the left column being the mac-
rocoBm and the right the microcosm. Comparison of these two columns
will reveal the myetical correspondencee and relationahips between God
and man»
In the three cyclee titled nThree natural euns in the world,< are Bhown
the heavenly, human and elementary suns. The first oircle is the rain-
bow, which at that time consisted of four colore. The second is the
heart or sun In man, and below le gold, which ie 8upp 0 8 ed to be the
eun of the earthly elemente.
 Page Eleven
The last división on this page shows the mystery of the seven planeta
and the three worlds, or circles. This makes the mystical number 21.
Inoidentally, 21 is the Rosicrucian number for the sun. This implies
that the planets are parte of the eun in the same way that the organs
o f o u r p h y e l c a l body are parte of each human being. In the sky, rep-
reeented by the firet circle, are six planets and the eun. On the
earth are the six feudal ranks and a king. Beneath the earth are six
metale and the metalllc king, or gold,
PLATE #15: ^
This píate ie taken from a eeventeénth century Rosicrucian symbol as
firet published in 1618 ln the work entitled "Speculum,”by Daniel
Moégllng. Thie eymbol ehowe how the world is produced from one prin­
cipal; ln faot, it ie a good eymbolical representation of Rosicrucian
moniBtic metaphysics. Prora the one come two, poeitive and negative;
frotti the two are raade the four Rosicrucian principáis, fire, earth,
air and water. The Latín naraee for these principáis are placed on
four circles. From these four principalB are formed the reet of the
material world. The qulnteeeence of everythlng in the physical world,
as pointed out in the diagram, is the circle called Azoth. This Azoth
i8 the great éecret of the alchemiets. It contains the firet and last
le ttere of three claeeical languagee—namely, Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
Azoth was the ñame for the universal éssence, or, as it was otherwise
known, the all-heallng medicine , elixir, or philosopher* s stone. The
figure of a man connected to the diagram above and the cup below repre-
eents the microcosm. Thie drinking cup or goblet of eimple truth con­
tains all of the wisdom of the microcosm and the macrocosm. This is
the eame title, “Poculum Pansophiae,11 which was used in the original
8ymbol. It means the drinking cup of all wisdom. Some groups have
interpfetéd this symbol as being the center of Rosicrucian philosophy
and have named their ehort-lived movement, Pansophia.
PLATE #16: pe. /*í
Píate #16 may well be called a symbolical representation of the God of
our hearts. It shows the splrltual organ of our cccult anatomy, the
spiritüal heart. Thie spiritual heart ie supposed to be situated in
the middle of the chest and not in the exact physical heart, In the
innermoet.ephere of this heart, incide of the hexagram, is a fíame.
Oütelde of thie flaraing circle there are four other circles, which
correepónd to different planee in the spiritual world and to different
ephere8 of the universe. Thus we have again the macrocosm and the
microcoBin. Translated, the Latin words written within and around the
hexagram mean morning etar, the point and host. The first circle once
removed from the hexagr.ara is the circle of the eternal spirit connect-
ing all in its cohesiveness. The eecond outer circle shows three
croeses, with one of them radiating light and peace. The third outer
circle is the circle of the Logos. The fourth or last outer circle is
the circle of chaos and darkness. It is the región from which all of
the elemente of the universe are formed. On the outermoet circum-
ference of all the circles is the thin yellow circle with all of the
Bigns óf the Zodiao. This is one of the most helpful symbols for
 Page Twelve
meditation for the average Rosicrucian and occult student. It tends
to take the student'e mind and intereets off his head and off intel-
leotual BUbjectB and to center hie lnterests upon his heait and spirit­
ual Bubjects.
PLATE #24 ; PC. i v

Thie píate is made up mostly of mystical reading matter pertaining

primarily to Hermetic philosophy. At the bottom is the moon, the sun,
and in the center the mystical symbol which Waite uses so often as the
firet Rosicrucian symbol. There was a great deal of controversy over
this Bymbol among the early Rosicrucian historlans. Some said it carne
from Valentín Andrea, others from the erest of Martin Luther, but it
mostly resembled the coat of arras of Slr Francis Bacon. Bacon1s coat
of ariiis boré a croes with a five-pointed rose in the center.
PLATE #25 . 2 6 ; PC. 2 V *

Píate #25 aleo has few symbols on it. The frequent use of Biblical
quotations and religious and theologlcal words is not due primarily
to the religious nature of the material, but rather to the fact that
the authors .wanted to protect themselves from being called heretics
and thue driving away sympathetic seekers; Dr. H. Spencer Lewls often
eaid that there was not a religious element in the oíd Rosicrucian
teachings and symbols. The frequent reference to and use of Christ
meant the lnner mystical Christ, or the outer Solar Christ» Thus we
eee a nümber of Biblical references. Actually, thiB page was devoted
to the mysterieB of the alchemical salt, sulphur and mercury, as being
the root of all metáis. In the older manuscript ''Physica, Metaphysica
and Hyperphysica, •' the top of Píate #26 was connected to the two
colored trianglefi at the bottom of #25. In the hlstory of alchemy the
number four is very prominent, especially so as Aristotl.e mentioned
that eyerything was made of the four essenees and a fifth^ which is
today called the quinteBsence. At the bottom of Píate #26 is given a
graphic and colorful diagram representative of the complete processes
of phyBical alchemy. Naturally, this cannot be treated in great de­
tall, but any alchemical work, such as John Read's "Prelude to Chemls-
try," will explain the meanlngs of the variouB terms and tell what de-
gree the phiLosopher1a Btone has arrived at when it is in each of the se
Btages*
PLATE #27: >5

This píate is another which was in the older Bixteénth century symbols
manuBcript, "PhyBlca, Metaphysica and HyperphyBica." In the original
manuscript it is titled "The Secret which was hidden." The initiale
at the top léft of the page, around the hexagram, etand for God, _
person, vbrd, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, God, man» and I*C. for Jesús
Christ. Theee letters occur many times in the secret Bymbol b , and it
would be well for one who intends to Btudy the secret Bymbols to mem-
orize theffl. Here again we have a rudimentary golden eross of the
RoBicrucianB in Bomewhat dlfferent.form. The place of the rose has
been taken by the word God. The four córner b are represented by the
 Page Thirteen
Father, the Son the Holy Ghost, and A.0*1*0*, standing for the alpha
and ornéga and Jesús Christ. Alchemical triangles, symbols and words
are écattered throughout. Most of these symbols have already been ex-
plained* Familiarity with the alchemical terms and the Kabala would
make the reading of this symbol easier.
PLATE #28: Pc.%0

Píate #28 is really a comblnation of three plates of the older manu-

script. In the oíd Rosicrucian mysterles the four principias— air,
firei water and earth— corresponded to the four parts of man— spirit ,
miiid, soul and body. In the two sections of prose at the bottom of
thé plateV one entltled "Fire Philosophy11 and the other "Water Phil­
osophy, ” there can be obtained a great deal of learning by substituting
on the left side for the word Fire, Spirit, and on the right side for
the woíd Water, Soul. In the symbol on this píate again we have ref-
erence tb the four principáis— earth, air, firé and water— Joined to-
gethei* to give all of the manifestatlons of the world. The essence of
these ^fouí* principáis resulte in the quintessence, or essence of the
phllOBppher's stone. This le one of the sixteenth century symbols,
PLATE #29» fC .17

This is aleo one of the plates from the older sixteenth century manu-
script, On this page the fraternity of the Rosy Cross is definitely
mentíonéd in at least three places, first at the bottom in the prose,
and at the tóp by the two letters, R.C. Of course, you réalize this
is just. a very cursory examination of each of these Bymbols. Practical-
ly a whole hour*s time could be spent on each píate, For Ínstanos,
notlce the circle between the two letters, R.C. It is divided into
four sections, again representing the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost,
and man, and the number four, as shown by the divisions, represente
man as the body of Christ. Below this, again we have the six-pointed
star with initials that have appeared elsewhere. Again we see W . G. P ,
stánding for the Word, God, the person; F for Father, H, G, for Holy
Ghost, S, for Spirit; the I. C. at the bottom stande for Jesús Christ,
and AE on the left for eternity, the T on the right for Time, Below
this Bix-pointed etar is again the eymbol of the Rosy Cross in a
clrble, thle time etanding for the hidden Rosy Cross. Then come the
five ;Bymbols, the three circles, and tko six-pointed stars. The six-
pointed star with the sevens in each point is a Kabbalistic symbol,
sé ven times seven equalling the number of f ir.es or gates which one
ráust pass through in order to becóme part of the Ineffable Nature.
Moses is e a i d t o have passed through the forty-nine fires, but the
Christ Spirit is the only one which has passed through the fiftieth
and éntered into the Ineffable Presence, The other four symbols with
thie eymbol are eelf-explanatory* The three circles at the bottom of
the page show how everything in the vegetable, animal and mineral
world comes into existence from one seed. In a way this also gives
another meaning to the four arms of the Rosy Cross.
 Page Fourteen
PLATE # 3 0 ; PC. a*
Thie píate shows the characteristic symbols of thé triangle on the
earthly and divine planee. The great eymbol pf the two triangleb
Joined together represente the continuouo alchemioal procese, It
cóuld aleo represent an oíd alchemical furnace with the various ap-
paratue. The eymbols of sulphur and mercury are Joined together, and
their Joining makes a circle for the spiritual seed. At the very
bottom is the earth, on the way up is the water, and the top triangle
íb the flery spiritual world of llght. At the bottom of the page is
ehown on the extreme left the Bymbol of putrefaction, as the alchem-
iete cali it, which íb ln reality distillatlon. On the extreme rlght
ie the Bymbol of resurrection, or that procese which reunitee the es-
eénce to its mineral salte. Inoidentally, the Bymbol of putrefaction
is embodiéd in the tj?aditlonal picture of Christian Rosenkreuz. In
the center Ib the alchemical egg or bottle, in which is sealed the
matter that was to be transmuted. NotIce the astrological and alchem-
lcal symbols in the bottle* All of these eymbols have a double mean-
ing. In addition to the physical alchemical meanlng there is, of
course, the spiritual alchemical meanlng, A b a matter of fact, both
are closely related throüghout the entlre book of secret symbols,
ThiB Bymbol.i b one of the sixteenth century Rosicrucian symbols,
PLATE # 3 1 ; .fC-.'if

Píate #31 again mentions the true Rosy Croas, at the top of the page.
It I b one of the sixteenth century Rosicrucian symbols. Another form
of the elementary Rosy Cross is ehown here ln the large circle of light,
The smallér inner circles are eo arranged as to form a four-armed
croBB* Again theee inner circles show how the world is formed ln a
fourfoíd manner from the Spirit, the four inner circles being next to
the center circle of Spirit* The square which e n d oses the four In­
ner circle8 le made up of eight more circles which represent the seven
planeta and the earth. This was the solar system of the ancients.
The outer twelve circles represent the Zodiac which eurrounds all
creation. Thie eymbol illustratee the philosophy of Paracelsus, who
sai el that twelve represente the heavenly world, eight the world of the
stare, and four the elemental world. Notice the number four that is
upside ddwn between the circle of God and Spirit. Thie four represente
man, who is about ready to fall* ThiB also represente the KabbaliBtlo
theory of emánation, /Spirit" stands for the Kabbalistic world of
Atzlluth, the eecond división of circles stands for the KabbaliBtlo
world of Briah, the four circles of three circled "Mords* and one
*per8onw and all of the other eight circles representing the eight
plañete stand for the Kabbalistic world of Yetzirah. The outermo8t
circle, the Zodiac circle, stande for the Kabbalistic world of Azziah,
the world of moneters» Below the Hebrew word logos and the Latin word.
biblia are fürther philoBophical explanatione which are easily dis-
cerned,
 Page Fifteen
PLATE # 3 2 ! P&. -3 *-

Thle is a very colorful and interesting píate of the sixteenth century

Rosicrucian symbols group, Its title, translated into English,iwould
be Bomething like this: "The divine figuré of Godly wisdom of the
Kabaía, magic, and not only philosophy but also alchemy*" This great
symbol portrays the fact that the sun is the souroe of life p.nd power,
In this particular place it is used as the divine sun* symbol of all
energy and power throughout the universe, Below it are the two inter-
lacing triangles representing the macro costa and the microcosm, or the
unión of divine and material powers. Immediately below the hexagr?. n
í b the circle called Hyle, Which means primordial space* Below that
in another pair of interlaced triangles is a small circle called Chaos,
with the symbols of the four elemente in lt. This is supposed to be
the cOnditlon of the four elementa in the world before they are re-
arranged by divine intelligence.
The two large circles on the right and left of Chaos are called Phil­
osophy ánd Alchemy. Within each of these are placed the proper symbols
of the subject they represent. In a large sense they represent the
mind and the heart. These two spheres are mixed. The small circle has
steain rising up with the symbols of mercury, salt and sulphur, As a re­
sal t of thi 8 mixture sixteen circles are produced or formed* In the se
small circles are eymbols of all 6ubstances and matterB here below.
The oíd Kabbalists used to speak of phübsophy and chemistry as abba and
alma on their tree of life or Sephirothic tree* This symbol is practic-
ally a synthesis of -Neoplatonic, Kabbalistic, Gnostic, Egyptian and oc-
Cult principies, This was the favorite symbol of Jobannes Kelpius.
PLATE # 3 3 1- PC. 5/
This symbol i.t representative of what the Hebrews called the Tree of
Life, the Hindús the Golden T r e e . I t is aleo sometimee referred to as
Jacob* s Ladder, Primarily it is representative of the Kabbalistic
Sephirpth and the Egyptian Pantheon, This symbol is here called a
Kabbalietic and magical scale of philosophy. The five large center
circles, two of which are yellow and three of which are green, make
the sor-CalLéd heavenly ladder divisible into four parts. These four
divisions, each vrlth four circles within, correspond again to the
four worlds of the Kabbalists, the hlghest world of Spirit, God the
Word, God and man, belonging to the vTorld of divine ñames and called
Atziiüth. The eecond división with the circles of warm, coid, damp and
dry i8 the sidereal, the world of archangels or of Briah* The third
world i 8 the formative world or world of angele, and is called ABsiah.
The top golden circle saya WA11 for one" and gives the Hebrew letters
for Yod He Vau He, It also has the Greek letter alpha in it. The
bottom golden circle has the letter omega in it, as well as the tetra-
grüjnmaton, the Latin words 11And reduced to time. The different colored
circles up and down the heavenly ladder stand for the different typés
of experience, different alchemical processes toward perfection, ór
different fruits on the tree of life. This whole symbol is really
depicting the ladder of evolution. The different colors are used to
 Page Sixteen
correspond to the different worlds. These colors of the different
worlds explain why water is colored blue in one part of the book and
yellow in another part. Such apparent oontradictionB in color can be
explained by the Kabbalistic scheme of color. There is one scherae of
color called the King Scale. This is used for all symbols of the world
of Atziluth, The Queen Scale is used for all Bymbols of the world of
Briah. The Prince Scale is used for all symbols of the world of
Yétzirah. The Princesa Scale or scheme of color is used for Bymbols
of the world of Assiah,. Incidentaily, the new light and color course
as given in the Reader's Research Academy is basad upon the Kabbalistic
schemes of color.
PLATE #54 ; r^

Píate #34 is representative of the best work which Robert Fludd has
done in his various symbolical works. These rare books of Fludd are
on dispiay each year dur-ing the Convention. This symbol appears to be
rather cómplex at first, but upon cióse examinatíon is found to be
colorfui representations of the visible and Invisible worlds. The
eharp llné of demarcation between these two worlds is shown by the
circle which is half black and half white»
PLATE #35 i. PC. 33
Píate #35, which is also of the sixteenth century group of Rosicrucian
symbols, has a large circle with the allegorical Rosicrucian cross in
the center, the book of seven seáis, and a lamb in the center of the
cross* These seven seáis are the knowledge and understanding of the
Kabbaíistic seven principies of U f e known only to the initiate. The
words in Latin around this cross a r e •taken from the Rosicrucian mani­
festó, "Fama Fraternitatis." Translated, they mean something like
this' MMy all, my victory is in the Rosy Cross," At the bottom of
the page again is the symbol which at one time was used a great deal
on Ros icru clan works, Not ice also the initials, D.O*H,A*, which v^ere
previóusly commented upon,
PLATE #36;
This píate does not exist in the older "Physica, Metaphysica and Hyper-
physica" manuscript. Rather, it has be en taken from an oíd French
"Rosicrucian Secret Symbols" called the "French Variant" of our'work.
The alchemical, Kabbalistical and Rosicrucian influence is easlly seen,
The eagles represent the spiritual and material, alchemical elements,
sulphur, mercury and salt. The inner circle with the interlaced
triangles is a Kabbalistic symbol, a great golden cross with "Frater
of the Rosy Cross" on the bottom being ldentlcal with the one on the
front of the book.
PLATE #46; ^

ThiB being one of the best and most widely known of all symbol b , it
was naturally in the older sixteenth century group, Agrlppa is known
to have made great use of this symbol. It represente the treatment
 Page Beventeen
of the Magna Matef, the Great Mother, in all of the Egyptian and
Greciah iTiyetery BchoolB, Mithralsm, Eleusianlsm, and the Legend of
Qsirifi áll had outstanding feminine actors» Diana, Isis and Serapie
áre three tího are well known. Our modern eoncept of the Madonna waB
dérived from the Egyptian reverence of Isis. Balzac has. a wonderful
novel ehowing the feminine aspect of wisdom or sophia» ThiB novel is
called "Seraphita." This symbol, then, portrays the Great Mother aspect
of creation which forever brlngs forth from herself all things. She
has a crown of mercury, her face is the eun, her arma are the prin­
cipáis' of the spiritual world, out of her bowels comes the mechanism
which makes the lower world, This lower world is shown in the larger
circle at the bottom of the page, which has grown out of the four prin­
cipal s-^-f iré , earth, air and water. The circles of theGe four prin­
cipáis are in direct contact with the four vital U f e circles that
draw upon the vltallty of the Great Mother. Again from these four prin­
cipáis we have all things in this world symbolized in many small circlef
This symbol in general represente the macrocosm and the microcosm, and
aiso, roughly, physica, metaphyslca and hyperphysica, the large circle
at the'bottom of the píate being physica, or the material earth, the
Great. Mother being raetaphysica, or the spiritual principie, and the
eight circles in between being the hyperphysica, or intermediary powers.
PLATE #47: Pd-4?
Píate #47 íb in the older Rosicrucian manuscript. It I b an extremely
profound Kabbalistic symbol which seta forth in two parallel columna
the twofoíd world of water and firé, The rlght column, which isblue,
is water, and the left is firé. The column of firé is al so the
spiritual. column. The column which the sons of God descend to become
God1s children, as shown at the bottom of the. two columna on the rlght,
are Á d a m 1s mortal children, which represent the fleshly sons of man-
kind. From the mixture of these two races is formed a third, a group
of belngs which have a true spiritual eelf within and a physical self
wlthout. This helps to make olear some of the references ln the Oíd
Testament about the -marriage and intermarriage of the sons of man with
the ángels. The large circle which is subdivided into four parts rep­
resente that world- of the Kabala that has the potentlal elements for
either rlsing to the spiritual world abo-ve or remainlng in the material
wórld of the earth.
PLATE #48: fC*i1

This píate shows the influence of ‘the seventeenth century myBtic,

Mlchael Maier. It is not in the older sixteenth century Rosicrucian
work. All of Michael Maier’ b works have circles and alchemical sym­
bol a which are similar to this.
PLATE # 4 9 : PC

Píate #49 represents the world of spirit emanating from a six-pointed

star, v/hich in turn emanatee from the Hebrew Gylíable, lod. The
prayer at the bottom of the píate is a very excellent prayor to Nature.
 Pago Eighteen
PLATE #5Ql 57

This píate is considered one of the first of the Rosicrucian symbols,

It is practically self-explanatory, the I*H.S, stancjlng for Christ and
the Holy Ghost in the center of the cross. The I íN.R.I. could Just as
well have the alchemical interpretation as the theólogical interpreta-
tlon» which is: "The things of nature are continually renewed by
fire.'1
PLATE #51:
Píate #51 has a haloed cross placed upon two interlacing triangles.
On top of the first triangular block in Latin are the three words
which mean faith, hope and charity. On the bottom triangular clock
áre thé words Which mean The W a y , Trüth and Life, A, E, Waite be-
.'lleves; that this symbol or page is the ihost important in the whole
book. It does coñtain the mystlcal doctrine of the famous Tauler,
This doctrine of Tauler's said that the presence of the Christ Spirit
was Immanent in the golden chalice which is placed at the bottom of
the cross* This is also one of the sixteenth century Rosicrucian
symbols.
PLATE #52:
This symbol shows the Book of Wisdom sealed with the seven sealB. The
eéven seáis are the seven principies of life. It is only the adept who
has mastered the principies of the seven seáis who can open the book.
The number 666 is the number of the be-as t, as mentioned in .Revelations»
This is perhaps the most outstanding reference to thé Christian Bible
in the entire book of secret symbols, However, there are many mystics
today who maintain that the Book of Revelations is ai distinctive work
dealing with psychic initiation, and not with actual eccleBlastlcal or
hlstorical evénts* This symbol is one of the sixteenth century group»
PLATE #53: pt- H

Pláte #53 shows the secret Book of Life opened. Notice that the seáis
are so placed that should the book be closed they would fit over each
other, representing the microcosm and the macrocosm. This is a fur-
ther elaboration of the previous Bymbol, and the text is self-explana­
tory. This le also of the sixteenth century group.
’
PLATE #54: rs

This píate is again one of the older sixteenth century Rosicrucian

symbols. It occupies the last páge in the older manuscript. It is
titled there "The Sum Total and the Final Conclusión." The left side
of the píate represente the divine nature and has the ñame of Jesús
and the Holy Ghost in it, while the right side is represented by the
word which translated means * h y l e , t h e elementary earthly substance*
The other three circles represent the four principies out of which
the Universe is comoosed. and which have already be en mentioned, The
 Pago Nineteen
two Latín phrases at the top and in the center of the diagram, when
translated mean the trifolio of the philosophies, and out of matter
into the imihater.lal.
PLATE #55: PC

In Píate #55 is given again a slight variation of the Rosy CrosB and
the Kabbalistic representation of.the number four. It representa in
effect heavenly and earthly fire» It was an axiom among the Rosicru-
cians of the Middle Ages that all thlngs had their origin in flre.
Another comment on the number four is approprlate at this time. Pytha-
goras placed great importance upon the number four. His Tetractys was
the basis of all his philosophy* This symbol was, of course, one of
the sixteenth century symbols.
PLATE #56:
The symbol on Píate #56 also belongs to the sixteenth century group.
It is eaid to show the secret of secrete, or the mystery of the number
séven. The left side deais with the heavenly theóries, while the right
side deals with the practical theóries of the natural world. The four
alchemical symbols are shown in the smallest inside circle. The se ven
conceritric circles correspond in a way to- the understanding of the
universe during the Middle Ages. The universe was supposed to be like
an onion, coneisting of layers upon layers. Here we see at the top
heaven, and the variouB lower divisions untll the seventh world, with
the world of nature on the right-hand side and the world of God .on the
left-hand sida* Each circle is Just the oppoeite of the other. One
inner circle represente materiality, and the inner circle on the left
represents the highest spiritual world. Aleo, the figure on the left
représente the maerocosm, while that on the right represents the
microcosm. The figures below the two circles represent various stages
and accpmplishments of the alchemical "Magnum Opus." The text gives a
number of "quotations" for the .persqn interested in meditating upon
Bymbolical scriptural statements.
PLATE #57 : U

The last symbol in the book belongs aleo to the early sixteenth century
group of Rosicrucian symbols. The predominating number of symbols—
twénty-eight, to be exact—do come direct from the sixteenth century
riianuBcript of Rosicrucian s e c r e t symbols, of which Johannes Kelplus*
copy was typical. Perhaps of all.the symbols in the book #57 portrays
mo8t cleárly a complete Cosmology of our Rosicrucian, AMORC teachings,
It shows first the golden circle or source of all power, spiritual and
physical. The second circle, made up of numerous arrows and symbols
and BeédB, depicts the gradual eolidification of the higher vibrations
untll we have, in the last or third circle, the physical universe. The
second or middle circle corresponds to the alchemical and phllosophical
term of hyperphyslca. The top circle corresponds to metaphysica, and
thé lower to physica. The top circle ie puré, undefiled Cosmic energy»
the middle circle le an active and .pehetratlve vortex of energy that
 Page Twenty
gradually condense b into the solid physical earth below* The large
circle below oommences with the circle of the Zodiac and vrorks in
toward the center of the earth, This bottom circle aleo shows the
medieval concept of the Universe. They believed that the Universe was
like an onion> made up of different layers or planes with Hades in
the center and God on the outside,
This ié the last of the symbols. As we have seen, the se thirty-six
symbols have given us one of the greatest summaries of wisdom known
to man today. By meditating' upon them and studylng them periodically
one can penetrate further into the ir mysteries, In fact> by continued
meditation they appear to dissolve or open and lead into higher worlds
of thought. The general principies and key to the understanding of
these eymbols depende upon our understanding of the Rosicrucian
phlloBophy, the Kabala and its color schemes, the ancient cosmogonies,
and the philosophieB of the ancient mystics of Greece ‘and Egypt.
Alchemy further clarifies the symbols.- Physical alchemy and spiritual
alchemy must aleo be stuáied before a complete understanding of the
book is. achieved. In conclusión, these two difecourses have attempted
to point the way for further study by giving the basic and general
principies of lnterpretation. Further progrese and understanding
depend upon the inltiative of thé student.

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