FEBRUARY 4 THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL

[EMPATHY]

So many people lost along so many trails,
and all of them disorganized; it tears my heart
to watch their halting progress on their lonely quests.

The ancients who went hunting God have marked His home.
Recorded in this gilded book, I have their maps;
I've trapped the laws that tumbled from their knowing lips.

I've built a house where mystery has dropped its mask.
No longer must you ask in vain; here God prevails:
I've carved His thoughts quite clearly on the holy stone.

Power moves throughout this place, in silk and flame,
in many voices joined in song, in filtered light
stained gold by glass, in shadows cast by painted saints.

Beyond these sturdy, sacred walls lies wilderness
and many fools have fallen there. Come, my children,
search no more; God is bound and waiting for your prayers.

[EMPATHY]

Esoteric Symbology - Crossed Keys

question

I usually deal with coins but when I was at a coin dealer he picked this up as silver scrap. It's actually Brass with silver plate but he told me the lady that sold it to him said it came off of a bathroom door right after the end of the Civil war. I have seen it before but I am not sure what it means. It is a pair of crossed keys. I have seen a vague reference to them in Freemasonry but aside from that I am not sure what they mean. Maybe you can help.

answer

Thank you. You are the first to send a photo, and that makes things a lot easier! I am just arriving from work and it may take me a day or two to answer, so please forgive the delay. Sorry about the delay in my reply; I prefer to take a little time when I need to.

An interesting symbol and, as I mentioned, it shows up many places, but I will try to give you the most likely context, given the source. Interestingly there are two towns in England named Crossed Keys, one of which is in Wales. Crossed Keys are also indicative of town of Leyden in Holland, and might indicate a relationship with either of these places, though my money would be on Wales. There are many locales in the United States that have the name Cross Keys, as well. Now I do not know if the house this was originally found in was from the Union or the Confederacy, but especially in the Confederate States, there were strong ties to England, Wales and Scotland. In fact, a red flag with crossed keys (crossed at 90º angles) is the Flag of the British Army Second Regiment.

The 90º Crossed Keys are part of many Heraldic Crests throughout England and Scotland. Unfortunately every one of these references uses a St. George's Cross (Perfect 90º X Shape) and I believe the angle is important to the origin. The Crossed Keys are also part of the Symbol used by the Vatican, but in that case the angle is lower, and topped by a Miter (the pointed, clerical hat worn by church officiants). In fact, the crossed keys are part of the Heraldic symbol of Pope Benedict XVI. Again, though, these are either at 90º or at a more 'flat' angle where yours is vertical. These Crossed Keys, though are at an angle that is equivalent to a type of St. Andrew's Cross which is aligned with, and related to, the constellation Orion, a symbol of great antiquity, probably Neolithic. (Details like this are why the photograph was so helpful, as you will see in a moment!).

The common thread I do find associated with the Symbol is its association with St. Peter. It is possible that every manifestation of crossed keys traces its lineage there, though I would surmise that the symbol existed before Christian times. I am guessing it is not directly related to Catholicism, because had it been, the keys would have been crossed at 90º, making its origin from the British Isles. There are residual symbols common there which may have originated with Catholicism but remained, under other veils, after the age of the Tudors and the Reformation.

Though the Cross of St. Andrew is usually shown as a Saltire or St. George's Cross, the Taller variant represented by these crossed keys is also a reference to St. Andrew, where instead of the Solar Cross, it represents the shape of the 4 corner stars of Orion, and is possibly as ancient, or even more ancient than the Saltire Solar Cross. This makes me suspect a tie with Scotland, though I find its equal nowhere in my (considerable) sources, and even Scoured my 1755 copy of Kent's Heraldry.

Your hunch about Masonry may have been fruitful, as the Crossed Keys are also known in more ancient Masonic Symbols, as well as other Mystery Schools, where they represent Anubis, or Sirius, the Dog Star. As this star was Isis Osiris (Orion) for the Egyptians, this would definitely give it a Masonic flavor. Officially, Masonry used to say that this symbol represented Physical and Moral Science. As a Mason for over twenty years, I can tell you that Masons are never given the Esoteric meaning of any of our Symbols, and only a handful know the true meaning of many of them, and fewer still, the true meaning of many of the most common and well known ones. Given that many Masonic Symbols were borrowed (I say borrowed, but in truth, Masonry holds symbols which were used by the ancient Egyptians, and were unknown outside Masonry until the late nineteenth century, meaning there is an ancient lineage, and not merely a 'borrowing').

That said, and given this particular symbol's shape, roughly matching that of the corner stars of Orion, I would surmise that it did, indeed, have a Masonic inference at that time, and that this is the most likely reference for this symbol, given its date. I found several references in old Masonic texts to the Crossed Keys as a Symbol of Anubis, and more anciently of Osiris/Orion. If this be the case, it actually represents the Man, the Adam Kadam or Soul of the World which was seen by the ancients in Orion as far north as Norway and as far South as southern Egypt, and probably beyond.

So here, finally, we have the most likely interpretation of your Symbol (and one symbol can have many, as you see!). It is probably a Masonic reference, whose Exoteric, or open meaning is the Twin Sciences, Moral Science and Physical Science, a way of representing Masonic Knowledge, and a subtle indicator of one's affiliation. The Esoteric, or Inner Meaning, is the concept of the Soul of the World, the Universe as a Great Man, the Word or Logos, in its Mysterious sense, manifested by a shape reminiscent of the stars of Orion.

[EMPATHY]

Posted by Victoria S Dennis on July 16, 2005

In Reply to: Re: 'Crosskeys!' posted by David FG on July 15, 2005

: : In the classic childrens game 'Tag' (though it has also been used in many other variations such as 'Stuck in the Mud' or even 'Hide and Seek Tag'), there is something they do that protects them from being 'tagged'. This is to cross their middle and fore-finger over (sometimes on both hands) and say 'Crosskeys!'. What does 'crosskeys' mean exactly, and does the shape they make have anything to do with when you cross your fingers when you're lying?

: I assume it would be spelled 'crosskies' and is a diminutive of 'cross' (as in the crossing of fingers.) There are a number of such sayings which convey immunity upon he/she who says them: perhaps the most common is 'fainites'.

: I have no idea what that means, either.

: DFG

In Peter and Iona Opie's great book Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, published in 1959, they found a huge variety of "truce terms" in use in British schools. Cross keys, crosses, creases, cruces, truces, bruises, cree, creams, crogs, croggie, scribs, scrams, screams, scrases, screws, scruces, skinch, scrogs, exes, kings, keys, vains, fains, fainites, fanlights, fainsies, snakes, keppies, barley, bars, barsey, barley-up, barley-bees, ballow, barrels were all in use somewhere in Britain. Of these, "barley" and its variants probably derive from "parley", and the "fains/fainites" group from the mediaeval English phrase "fain I" , meaning "I decline", from old French "se feindre" meaning "to make excuses, hang back, back away from a fight". The Opies noted that these truce words almost always went with a hand gesture, usually crossed fingers, so it's possible (though the Opies didn't commit themselves to this) that the "crosses/cross keys/cruces" group refer to the gesture. (VSD)

[EMPATHY]

What was the question I asked tarot?

The question was, would Michael declare he is alive in public soon?

I dont think this tarot is telling us an affirmative, because it is aganst common sense and good advice.

It tells me that 'one has to play by the rules of the book and institutionalisation means just that' . Institutionalisation is when someone is comfortable where they are.
The symbolism is the Heirophant who produces a victory sign - but it is also a sign of PEACE -

I have also shown you the crossed keys symbolism and hope that you can take from it some guidance or understanding.

Have faith in what tarot tries to tell us it all makes good sense.

I dont see this happening -yet-