The Golden Star

VISION 7

The Symbol of the Cross

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“It is well to use this sign often, for a man is sometimes forgetful of the protection he derives from dwelling upon the ideal worlds of God, which aids him to drive away all unwholesome thoughts and influences, especially when he is tempted to give way to irritation, or selfish and other undesirable thoughts. The man whose mind dwells always on the higher levels may not need these reminders; but there are very few such men, and the average person will receive much help from this small ceremonial action, which will drive away all unpleasant influences and retain all that is good.

“Man lives amongst a host and vast hordes of other beings; and although they are invisible to the average man, they are nonetheless powerful. Whenever a sign of power is made, or a word of power spoken, these beings gather around the actor or speaker, hoping that he will send out thoughts and vibrations that will be enjoyable to them. They need such vibrations; and the higher the thought, word, or sign, the better are the classes of elemental spirits it will attract. You will realize that this does not apply to the angelic beings, who, being perfect and pure, do not need the aid of any vibrations man can send out.

“Each time he feels that he has lost touch, for the time being, with the utter love, peace, understanding and unity of the Father, a man should make the Holy Sign of the Cross, and ask the Lord to turn to him again and give His protection and guidance. When reading the Gospels a man should make the sign of the Cross three times, and thus dedicate his mind, lips and heart to the work of spreading the Truth, and at the same time open up the three centres of the forehead, throat and breast to the holy influence which is about to be poured out. In this way the Holy Writings become centres of Force, surrounded by an aura of reverential and grateful thought, which will stimulate the mental and spiritual faculties. If before the opening of the Book he makes the sign of the Cross upon it, he will unlock the door of the treasure-house from which the Holy Wisdom will flow and enter his being. It will bring the lower mind into harmony with the higher, and thus it aids the work of the Master within, in that he can now pour out the vials of Wisdom upon the thirsting mind, seeking union with the Soul, which leads to God’s Domains.

“After Prayer, or study of the Holy Writings, a final sign of the Cross should be made, which will produce a general intensification of the work done, and strengthen the link between Mind and Soul.

“The great power of this sign is illustrated in the rites of Consecration of a Bishop when the Consecrator makes the Sign of the Cross, first over the heart of the newly consecrated Bishop, then over his hands, and says: ‘Mayest thou abound with the fullness of spiritual blessing,’ making the sign of the cross again at the words ‘spiritual blessing.’ This opens fully the direct line of communication between intuition and emotion, so that if and when the intuition is developed, it may flash at once into what is intended to be its expression in physical life.

“There is also the pectoral cross of the Bishops. Upon this are mounted seven jewels corresponding with those embedded in the Altar-stone (as, for instance—in Liberal Catholic usage). When the Altar-jewels glisten in response to the downpouring force, the jewels of the pectoral cross also flash. The Bishop’s consecrated ring also plays a part by reacting upon the jewels in the altar and cross, resulting in an interweaving and intensification of these forces, which again is the means of an outpouring of force upon the congregation and upon the world in general.

“In the Roman Church this pectoral cross, or crozier, often contains a relic of some sort, possibly a fragment of the alleged wood of the True Cross.

“The seven jewels are connected with the seven Rays and when any person comes near the Cross, the jewel connected with the Ray on which this person manifests, flashes out, and if he is at all receptive that person may receive a great outpouring of strength and help.

“The Bishop wears this cross—in the Roman Church he wears it outside the mozetta, but inside the mantelletta—because, as a consecrated link with his Lord he becomes a highly charged battery, as it were, and the pectoral cross acts as a prism for the forces which should always be flowing through him. Its action during the various services of the Church is therefore very powerful. It acts upon the Bishop, it receives from him, and its rays pour out power upon the congregation. The clairvoyant can see these glowing rays, which are an expression of the triple Spirit in the Christ, and can be perceived only through the reflection of the same spirit in a highly developed man.

“The various forms of the cross, such as the ansated Egyptian cross, or Tau; the Jaina cross, or Swastika; and the Christian cross, are the symbols of generation. The Taurus, or Bull, was sacred in every Cosmogony; as with the Hindus, the Zoroastrians, the Chaldees, and the Egyptians. In the same sense the Serpent was the symbol for Wisdom.

“The cross in its Egyptian and Christian form is a combination of the triangle and the square, and it is the cube unfolded. The triangle and the square, being the universally accepted glyphs of male and female principles, show the aspect of the evolving deity and can be seen shining in the heavens as the Southern Cross, which has the same significance as the Egyptian Crux Ansata.

“The numbers 3 and 4 counted on the cross show a form of the Hebrew golden candlestick in the Holy of Holies; and the numbers 3 and 4 combined give us the days in the circle of the week, as 7 lights of the Sun. This week of 7 lights, or days, of the Sun was the origin of the month and the year, and so it is the time-marker of birth. By the attachment of a man to the cross the symbol is completed, and this was made to coordinate with the idea of the origin of human life; hence its form, which is identical with the Tree of Life.

“The cross, as well as the circle, are universal symbols, and stand foremost on the list of the long series of signs which contain within themselves and express great scientific truths. These two symbols are as old as humanity itself and have a direct bearing upon psychological as well as physiological mysteries.

“There always have been thinkers who have endeavoured to explain the mystery of the central point of the cross by making it the symbol of the Universal Presence. This is an erroneous conception; for the Boundless and the Infinite can never be limited and conditioned to one centre; nor can the presence of Christ upon the Cross be interpreted as the individualization of God in the central point of that Cross in the person of Jesus Christ.

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