Rose

What this is

Rose (Rosa). The queen of flowers, sacred to every love-goddess, thorn and bloom together. To speak sub rosa, under the rose, is to speak in confidence, for a rose hung over the table kept all said beneath it. Its petals went into love-work, its centre held the deepest matters of all.

What it governs

Rose answers to Venus and the element of Water. Its seat in the zodiac is Taurus and Libra, and its day is Friday, when its virtue runs fullest. It strengthens with the full moon. In the old practice its office is plain: Petals strewn in the bath — the Lady's own anointing. Or: rose water at the temples.

Its properties

In the Galenic reckoning rose is cool and moist, and that temperament is the whole key to its work. The part you take is the petal; hip. Its working colour follows Venus, green and rose; its metal is copper, its stones are emerald, rose quartz, its number 7, and on the Tree of Life it threads up to Netzach. It is a herb of scent, working through the nose as much as the hand, it carries well on the body, kept in a pocket or a small sachet and it is gentle, safe to use as the practice describes.

Where else it appears

One opening heart in many skins: the rose sprang from Aphrodite's own blood; it bloomed at the heart of the alchemist's rosarium and the rosy cross; the church named the rose without thorns for Mary, and the rose-window blazed its five-fold geometry into stone. Goddess, alchemist and cathedral fold the way to the centre petal by petal.

Where you meet it on the Oracle

In the Green Kingdom you meet Rose on Today's Herb, Scent of the Hour, Angelic Herb, Moon's Companion, Today's Gathering, and Herb of the Hour. When it surfaces it counsels you toward its office: Petals strewn in the bath — the Lady's own anointing. Or: rose water at the temples. As the Scent of the Hour its message arrives through the nose, so let its smoke or its smell set the temper of the hour. As the Angelic Herb it stands under Anael; read its rising as that intelligence laying a hand on your day, with Venus's love and gentle harmony. As the Moon's Companion it walks with the night, marking a dream, a tide of feeling, or a thing best done by moonlight. As Today's Gathering it marks a plant to take up now, while full moon and the day are with it.

Why it matters

Rose opens the heart and keeps the secret. It teaches that the deepest things are both offered and protected, that love spoken and a confidence kept are the same care for the centre. It asks you to open toward what you love while honouring what stays under the rose.

Correspondences

planet

Venus

element

Water

zodiac

Taurus, Libra

number

7

sephirah

Netzach

day

Friday

colour

green, rose

metal

copper

stone

emerald, rose quartz

tarot

The Lovers