The Evolving Cross

Expanding on the meaning of the cross -- it is said the shape of the cross was first formed by the two sticks traditionally used as kindling to make a fire. So -- a symbol of purification through fire. The cross came to mean unification, the joining of all poles of the world, the world axis, a resolution of polarities. The joining of opposites. The cross is considered a protective sword used in order to cut through illusion and see personal truth. It is a symbol of the seeker. A wooden cross was seen as "The Tree of Life" pointing to all that is, a fertile symbol of nature's grace. Placed in fertile earth, the wooden cross (seemingly dead twigs from a tree), would sprout leaves, a symbol the regenerative quality of nature. It became a symbol of resurrection. It is said there are "living fences" made entirely out of verdant twigs in the South Pacific. What appears to be dead suddenly springs to life under the right conditions, in the right season. There are over three hundred different types of crosses, so in each imagination may live a different one for contemplation. There is not just one cross but many, and not all of them are the same. So it becomes apparent humanity is not just restricted to one meaning of the cross, which has remained a living symbol in many ways since the dawn of civilisation.

Resource: Brasch, R. - "How Did It Begin?" Angus & Robertson.
copyright Monika Roleff2005