The Rose Cross meditation is central to theWestern, Rosicrucian path of personal development as presented by RudolfSteiner. He repeatedly referred to the meditation as a "symbol of humandevelopment" that illustrates the transformation of human instincts and desires, which work unconsciously in the soul, and in thought, feeling, and the will.Through personal development, the "I," or essential self, cangain mastery over these unconscious forces of the soul.The Rose Cross meditation features the redrose as the image to which a student, via specific means, aspires. Added to theplant is the black cross, which points to the mystery of death and resurrectionand provides a symbol of the higher development of the human "I." Themetamorphosis of the roses and the cross into the symbol of the Rose Cross isbrought about by the one's inner efforts, creating an entirely new image. Thisbecomes the starting point for further steps along the meditative path.The Rose Cross meditation is the only pictorialmeditation whose content and structure Steiner described in such detail. Inthis invaluable book, the editor has gathered virtually all Steiner'sstatements on this subject, arranging them chronologically. Commentary andnotes support his words.