24 THE CROSS (2)

The cross also represents the human form inscribed within the solar disk, its orientation in time (the four seasons) and space (the four cardinal points when facing the rising sun). The cross was one of the emblems of Quetzalcoatl, the lord of the four cardinal points, for example.

The cross evolved from a solar symbol of ‘life’ to a symbol of suffering expressing God’s self-sacrifice, a symbol of ‘death’ in a way. This was presented to the Pagans as ‘Christ, the new light of the world’, using the existing solar symbol as a means of conversion, by giving it a new meaning to suit their needs. This can clearly be seen in the evolution of the Celtic cross, like the one above (Gallen, Offaly, Ireland), in which the pagan symbolism is still respected. In a way, Christianity, in its outward aspect, has taken the cross out of its ‘traditional’ symbolic context, and regards it as a sign of a historical event, the death of Christ. Some esoteric societies, like the Rosicrucians, respected more or less the original symbolism of the cross: "the cross represents the human body and the rose, its center, is the individual's unfolding consciousness”.

In its simplest form the cross represents an orientation in space, a conjunction of dualities: high and low, left and right, seen from ‘the center’, and by extrapolation the intersection of two worlds (earth and sky). Or, the horizontal arm of a cross is associated with the terrestrial, the feminine, the elements Earth and Water. The vertical arm is associated with the sky, the masculine, the elements Fire and Air. The four elements, in a materialistic sense, stand for Hydrogen (Fire), Nitrogen (Air), Oxygen (Water) and Carbon (Earth), the building blocks of matter. In a more spiritual and psychological way, the four elements represent: intuition (Fire), thinking and reason (Air), emotions (Water), sensations (Earth). For C.G. Jung they were the four psychological faculties.

 

The Egyptian Ankh, a looped Tau-cross, was adopted by the Egyptian Coptic Christians as their version of the cross. The Ankh or Crux Ansata (the cross with a handle) is considered as a sun-symbol, hence the symbol of life (the sun rising above the horizon). Isis is often depicted holding the Ankh to show that she commands the powers of life and death.

King Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria (9th century BC) wearing a cross necklace