Part 2 - AMORC

he rose is linked by A chainof association with a thousand chaptersin the history of humanity. A native of theEast, the rose is now universal, openingits petals to the sun of every climate.The ancients regarded the rose as the emblemof silence, love, joy and secrecy. The sanctity of therose has been felt and recognised in all ages, from thecrude drawings on rocks and in caves of our earliestancestors, to the immortal inspirations of Dante andRaphael. The rose is the crystallisation of all growth,unfoldment and evolution in the vegetable kingdom;the evolution of plantlife through eons andeons of time, struggling,suffering and aspiringtowards the perfection of grace, beauty and fragranceof the flower kingdom. What does this inspirationand attainment of heavenliness symbolise?The rose is a worthy symbol the soul ofmankind in the process of its growth, unfoldmentand evolution towards its Creator. Each delicatelytinted petal, in the layers of mystic perfume is likethe desires, longings, sufferings and aspirations ofthe human soul, through eons and eons of time,unfolding, grouping, growing towards the perfectionof the Cosmic ideal for humankind.Each of us, like the rose, has a sacred powerwhich permits us to discover the inner significances,the reality of invisible things. As the rose turns itsheart to the physical sun, so we turn our Soul to thespiritual light of truth, which may suddenly comeupon us in the midst of darkness and ignorance. Allphysical perfections may come to an end, while thedivine virtues are infinite. Those who are servants ofspiritual beauty are everlasting.by Claire Lewis, SRCOne of the most perfect, exquisite thoughts that Nature has given usis the rose. By universal assent the rose has been voted the loveliest ofall flowers on Earth.In a poetic sense the petals of the Rosicrucianrose have lengthened life, mitigated pain, extinguisheddiseases, increased the fertility of the soil, givennew securities to the sailor, spanned great riversand estuaries with bridges, guided the thunderboltinnocuously from sky to earth, lit up the nightwith the splendour of the day, extended the rangeof human vision, enhanced the powers of humanmuscles, accelerated motion, annihilated distances,enabled men and women to descend to the depthsof the sea, to soar into the air, to penetrate into therecesses of the earth, to cross continents in planes,cars and trains. TheseThe rose is a worthy symbol of the soul are but a part of theof mankind in the process of its growth. rose, for the Rosicrucianphilosophy never rests,never attains, is never perfect: its law is progress.Each petal of the rose on the cross is thereforesymbolic of the oneness of the world of humanity,universal peace, universal tolerance, internationalconsanguinity and solidarity, the establishment ofthis utopia, first in the hearts of man, then upon theEarth. The world of humanity is like a Cosmic rosegarden, and the various peoples and languages arelike its various flowers. The diversity of colours ina rose garden adds to the charm and beauty of thescene, just as the variety of nations enhances unityand charm.Into each human heart the Cosmic plantedthe seed of a spiritual rose. If we plant its rootsdeep in the soil of unselfishness, water it with thedew of purity, protect it from the blasts of prejudiceand bigotry, give it the sunshine of universal love, itwill flourish and unfold into blossoms of heavenlybeauty for all people, with the perfume of a divinecivilisation.The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2008