The origins of the sacredness of the rose may be traced to the beautiful eight-year orbital pattern made by the planet Venus. It was from ancient times associated with the Great Goddesses of the ancient world: Isis, Aphrodite, Cybele, Venus and, later, the Virgin Mary and the rosary. In medieval Europe, the rose and the enclosed garden became a symbol of the soul as well as a place for lovers to meet. But more than that, it was the symbol of the greater Soul of the Cosmos in which the human soul was contained. The rose is also one of the oldest symbols of the Wisdom Tradition and of Wisdom herself radiating love to our world from the divine ground. Like the thousand-petalled lotus or the jewel in the heart of the lotus of the Eastern traditions, the rose came to symbolize the awakened soul, united with the divine ground, as in Dante’s great vision of the white rose of the Empyrean.
Baring, Anne. The Dream of the Cosmos: A Quest for the Soul (p. 374). Archive Publishing. Kindle Edition.It
Over the last year, it has been a great adventure for me following the pathway of the Rose and Soul in the Western World. Now I am venturing into the Eastern traditions to balance my understanding of the soul through the heart of the lotus and the Ancient Goddesses of the East.
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