The Rose Cross meditation is central to the western – Rosicrucian – path of personal development as presented by Rudolf Steiner. Steiner repeatedly referred to the meditation as a ‘symbol of human development’ that illustrates the transformation of the human being’s instincts and desires. These work unconsciously in the soul, and in thought, feeling and will. Through personal development, the ‘I’ – the essential self – can gain mastery over these unconscious forces of the soul. The Rose Cross meditation features the red rose as an image to which the student, via specific means, aspires. To the plant is added the black cross which, pointing to the mystery of death and resurrection, provides a symbol of the higher development of the human I. The metamorphosis of the roses and the cross into the symbol of the Rose Cross is brought about by the student’s inner efforts, creating an entirely new image. This becomes the starting point for further steps along the meditative path. The Rose Cross meditation is the only pictorial meditation whose content and structure Steiner described in such detail. In this invaluable book, the editor has drawn together virtually all Rudolf Steiner’s statements on the subject, arranging them chronologically within the motif of each chapter. His words are supported by commentary and notes.

Excerpt from The Rose Cross Order: A Short Sketch of the History of the Rose Cross Order in America, Together With a Sketch of the Life of Dr. P. B. Randolph, the Founder of the Order In the wonderful and remarkable story, The Mysteries of Myra. Wonderful, because it seems impossible that a sup posed authority on a subject should be able to bring so many inconsistencies into so short a space, and remarkable, because it seems impossible that such an inconsistent story, would be seriously considered by mankind in general; however, there is at least one true statement in it. In speaking of the Black Brotherhood, the author of the story, Hereward Carrington, made the following statement: The order is one of the most ancient origin - thousands of years old, I have been told. The order had been virtually wiped out in Europe because of the great war, but the master intends starting branches throughout the United States within the next few weeks. If he succeeds, heaven help the hapless country. The reason the story by Carrington has been accepted, is because it is, on the whole, accepted only as a story, and as containing but very little truth, but these people who accept the story, forget, that no lie can be told, unless there is a foundation of truth in it, and few of the thousands who are reading the story, would really believe that the one statement quoted is an absolute truth, as I propose to show throughout this article. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.