The Rose: Love, Secrecy & Rosicrucian Mysteries

BY NICOLE LAU

No flower has captured human imagination like the rose. It is the flower of lovers and mystics, of poets and alchemists, of goddesses and secret societies. It blooms in gardens and grimoires, on altars and in dreams.

The rose is beauty and pain (those thorns), love and sacrifice, the open heart and the hidden mystery. It is the flower that says: I love you and I keep secrets in the same breath.

This is the rose: the queen of flowers, the heart of the mysteries.

The Rose in Mythology and Religion

🌹 Aphrodite and Venus: The Flower of Love

In Greek and Roman mythology, the rose is sacred to Aphrodite (Venus), goddess of love and beauty. According to legend:

• White roses grew from the sea foam when Aphrodite was born
• Red roses were created when Aphrodite pricked her foot on a thorn while running to save her dying lover Adonis—her blood turned the white roses red
• Roses were planted in Aphrodite's sacred gardens
• Rose petals were scattered at weddings and love rituals

The rose became the ultimate symbol of romantic love, passion, and beauty.

🌹 Christianity: The Mystical Rose

In Christian symbolism, the rose represents:

• The Virgin Mary: Called the "Mystical Rose" or "Rosa Mystica"
• The five wounds of Christ: Five-petaled roses (like the wild rose)
• Martyrdom: Red roses for the blood of saints
• Purity: White roses for innocence
• The rosary: "Rose garden" of prayers
• Rose windows: Circular stained glass in cathedrals, representing divine light and the cosmos

🌹 Islam: The Rose of Paradise

In Islamic tradition:

• The rose is said to have sprung from the sweat of Prophet Muhammad
• Paradise is described as filled with roses
• Rose water is used in purification rituals
• The rose represents divine beauty and the beloved
• Sufi poetry uses the rose as a metaphor for the soul's longing for God

🌹 Hinduism and Buddhism: The Unfolding Lotus-Rose

While the lotus is more prominent in Eastern traditions, the rose also appears:

• As a symbol of the heart chakra (Anahata)
• Representing the unfolding of spiritual consciousness
• In tantric imagery as the yoni (divine feminine)

Sub Rosa: Under the Rose

The phrase "sub rosa" (Latin for "under the rose") means "in secret" or "in confidence."

Origin: In ancient Rome, a rose hung from the ceiling during confidential meetings signaled that everything said was to remain secret. The rose became the symbol of discretion and confidentiality.

Modern use:

• Confessional booths often have roses carved on them
• Secret societies use the rose as a symbol of hidden knowledge
• "What is said sub rosa stays sub rosa"

The rose teaches: Some truths are too sacred to speak aloud. Some mysteries must be kept.

The Rosicrucians: The Rose Cross

The Rosicrucian Order (Order of the Rose Cross) is a mystical society that emerged in the 17th century, claiming ancient wisdom traditions.

The Rose Cross Symbol

The central symbol is a rose blooming at the center of a cross:

• The Cross: The material world, the four elements, suffering, the body
• The Rose: The soul, spiritual awakening, divine love, the heart
• Together: Spirit descending into matter, the divine made flesh, enlightenment through embodiment

The rose at the heart of the cross represents:

• The awakened heart in the midst of suffering
• Beauty blooming from pain
• The Christ consciousness (the rose = Christ's heart)
• Alchemical transformation (lead into gold, suffering into wisdom)

Rosicrucian Teachings

The Rosicrucians taught:

• Alchemy (spiritual and physical)
• Hermetic philosophy
• Qabalah
• Healing arts
• The unity of science, religion, and mysticism

The rose became the symbol of their hidden wisdom, blooming only for those ready to receive it.

The Alchemy of the Rose

In alchemy, the rose represents:

• The Philosopher's Stone: The goal of the Great Work
• The Red Stage (Rubedo): The final stage of alchemical transformation
• The union of opposites: Sulfur (masculine/fire) and Mercury (feminine/water) creating the Philosopher's Stone
• The heart of the work: Love as the transformative force

The alchemical rose is often depicted as:

• A red rose with seven petals (seven stages of transformation)
• A rose growing from a skull (beauty from death, life from decay)
• A rose in a flask (the sealed vessel of transformation)

The Language of Roses: Color Meanings

🌹 Red Rose

Meaning: Passionate love, desire, romance, courage
Magic: Love spells, passion work, heart opening
Chakra: Root (survival) and Heart (love)

🤍 White Rose

Meaning: Purity, innocence, new beginnings, reverence
Magic: Purification, spiritual love, honoring the dead, weddings
Chakra: Crown (divine connection)

💗 Pink Rose

Meaning: Gentle love, gratitude, grace, joy
Magic: Self-love, friendship, healing the heart, gratitude rituals
Chakra: Heart (Anahata)

💛 Yellow Rose

Meaning: Friendship, joy, caring, remembrance
Magic: Friendship spells, happiness work, mental clarity
Chakra: Solar Plexus (personal power)

🧡 Orange Rose

Meaning: Enthusiasm, desire, fascination, energy
Magic: Creativity, passion, attraction, vitality
Chakra: Sacral (creativity, sexuality)

💜 Purple/Lavender Rose

Meaning: Enchantment, mystery, love at first sight, royalty
Magic: Psychic work, mystical love, spiritual connection
Chakra: Third Eye and Crown

🖤 Black Rose

Meaning: Death, endings, rebirth, the shadow, farewell
Magic: Banishing, endings, shadow work, transformation
Note: True black roses don't exist in nature (they're very dark red or purple)

The Rose in Sacred Geometry

The Rose Window

Gothic cathedrals feature circular stained glass "rose windows" that represent:

• The cosmos and divine order
• The Virgin Mary (the Mystical Rose)
• The wheel of the year
• The mandala of creation
• Light (divine) shining through matter (glass)

The Rose Mandala

The rose's spiral petal arrangement follows the Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio (phi), making it a natural mandala and symbol of divine proportion.

The Five-Petaled Rose

The wild rose has five petals, representing:

• The five elements (earth, water, fire, air, spirit)
• The pentagram (five-pointed star)
• The five wounds of Christ
• The human body (head, arms, legs)

Rose Magic: How to Work with the Rose

Love Spells

Simple Rose Love Spell:

1. On a Friday (Venus' day), gather red or pink rose petals
2. Write your intention on pink paper
3. Fold the paper with the petals inside
4. Seal with pink or red wax
5. Keep under your pillow or on your altar

Rose Water for Purification

Rose water (distilled rose essence) is used for:

• Cleansing ritual tools
• Anointing the third eye
• Adding to baths for self-love
• Spraying spaces for peace and love
• Offering to Venus/Aphrodite

Rose Petal Divination

Scatter rose petals and read the patterns, or:

• Pull petals one by one: "They love me, they love me not"
• Float petals in water and watch how they move
• Burn dried petals and read the smoke

Rose Quartz and Rose Synergy

Combine rose quartz crystal with rose petals or rose oil for amplified heart-opening magic.

Rose Offerings

Offer roses to:

• Aphrodite/Venus: For love and beauty
• Mary: For compassion and protection
• Eros: For passion
• Your ancestors: For remembrance
• Your altar: For beauty and devotion

The Thorns: The Shadow of the Rose

The rose's thorns remind us:

• Beauty requires protection: The heart must have boundaries
• Love can wound: Opening the heart risks pain
• Sacrifice: True love requires giving of yourself
• The price of beauty: Nothing precious comes without cost

The thorn is not separate from the rose—it's part of its nature. Love without the possibility of pain is not real love.

The Rose in Literature and Art

• "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)
• "The Little Prince": The rose as the beloved, unique and irreplaceable
• "Beauty and the Beast": The enchanted rose as a timer on love and transformation
• "The Name of the Rose": Umberto Eco's mystery novel about hidden knowledge
• Tarot: Roses appear in many cards (The Fool, The Magician, Death) symbolizing purity, passion, or transformation

Final Thoughts

The rose is not just a flower—it's a teaching. It says:

Open your heart, even though it might be wounded.
Bloom, even though you will fade.
Be beautiful, even though beauty is fleeting.
Love, even though love is dangerous.
Keep some mysteries sacred.

The rose is the heart of the world, blooming at the center of the cross, offering its beauty and its thorns, its fragrance and its secrets.

Will you accept the rose?

Ready to work with rose magic? Explore our collection of rose quartz, rose petal products, Rosicrucian symbols, and love magic tools to open your heart to the mysteries of the rose.