A collection of aphorisms and Latin phrases of the Royal Art
Latin Phrases- I. Royalty & Sovereignty
- II. The Grail Quest & Chivalric Orders
- III. The Rose Cross
- IV. The Hermetic-Alchemical Art
- V. The Mysteries & Initiation
- VI. Astrology & the Celestial Art
- VII. The Templar Holy Knight
- VIII. Sacred Law & Divine Order
- IX. Love, Beauty & the Venusian Path
- X. Scripture, Prayer & the Sacred Word
- XI. Wisdom, Lore & the Way of Study
- XII. The Temple & the Craft
- XIII. Death, Resurrection & the Phoenix
- XIV. The Gnostic Flame
- XV. Kabbalah & the Hebrew Mysteries
I. Royalty & Sovereignty
- Rex est imago Dei → The king is the image of God
- Corona est onus, non ornamentum → The crown is a burden, not an ornament
- Rex servus servorum Dei → The king is servant of the servants of God
- Imperare sibi regnum est → To rule oneself is kingship — Seneca
- Rex iustus fundamentum regni → The just king is the foundation of the kingdom
- Non regit, qui non corrigit → He does not rule who does not correct
- Virtus regis populi salus → The virtue of the king is the salvation of the people
- Rex aurum non quaerit, sed lucem → The king seeks not gold, but light
- Sceptrum tenet qui se ipsum regit → He holds the scepter who governs himself
- Cor regis in manu Dei → The heart of the king is in the hand of God — Proverbs 21:1
- Maiestas vera est humilitas → True majesty is humility
- Rex occultus regit mundum → The hidden king rules the world
- Corona datur, non capitur → The crown is given, not taken
- Sine lege, rex est tyrannus → Without law, a king is a tyrant
- Solaris rex, lumen mundi → The Solar King, light of the world
- Regnum Dei intra vos est → The Kingdom of God is within you — Luke 17:21
- Rex non moritur → The king does not die
- Regnare est servire → To reign is to serve
- Qui se exaltat humiliabitur, et qui se humiliat exaltabitur → He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted — Luke 14:11
- Nemo rex nisi Deo auctore → No one is king except by God's authority
- Princeps est lex animata → The prince is the living law — Byzantine maxim
- Thronus regis fundamentum justitiae → The throne of the king is founded on justice
- A Deo rex, a rege lex → From God the king, from the king the law
II. The Grail Quest & Chivalric Orders
- Rex quondam rexque futurus → The king who was and will be
- Terra et rex unum sunt → The land and the king are one
- Cui servit Graal? → To whom does the Grail serve?
- In Calice Vita Aeterna → In the Chalice, eternal life
- Sanguis Christi, Lux Mundi → The Blood of Christ, Light of the World
- Calix Cordis → The Cup of the Heart
- Cibus Angelorum, Potus Dei → Food of Angels, Drink of God
- Custos Graalis → Keeper of the Grail
- Non Nobis, Domine, Non Nobis, Sed Nomini Tuo da Gloriam → Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your Name give glory — Psalm 115:1; the Templar psalm.
- In Hoc Signo Vinces → In this sign, you will conquer
- Militia Christi → Soldiery of Christ
- Per Fidem et Gladium → By Faith and Sword
- Custos Templi, Servus Dei → Guardian of the Temple, Servant of God
- In servitio invenitur regnum → In service is found the kingdom
- Non sibi, sed Deo et Regi → Not for self, but for God and King
- Custos Veritatis → Guardian of the Truth
- Per ardua ad astra → Through adversity to the stars
- Fides et honor → Faith and honor
- Per arma ad astra → Through arms to the stars
- Fides et Fortitudo → Faith and Fortitude
- Ad gloriam per crucem → To glory through the Cross
- Adveniat regnum tuum → Thy Kingdom come
- Custodes lucis et tenebrarum → Keepers of the light and the shadows
- Quis ut Deus? → Who is like unto God? — War-cry of Archangel Michael.
- Deus Vult → God wills it — Battle cry of the First Crusade.
- Pauper commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici Hierosolymitanis → Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon of Jerusalem — Full name of the Knights Templar.
- Sigillum Militum Xristi → Seal of the Soldiers of Christ
- Vincit qui se vincit → He conquers who conquers himself
- Virtute et armis → By courage and by arms
- De Laude Novae Militiae → In Praise of the New Knighthood — Title of St. Bernard of Clairvaux's treatise on the Templars.
- Miles et monachus in uno → Soldier and monk in one
- Custos Terrae Sanctae → Guardian of the Holy Land
- Beauséant! → War-cry of the Knights Templar; also the name of their black-and-white battle banner.
- Obsequium Christi → Obedience to Christ
- Hierosolymae liberandae causa → For the cause of liberating Jerusalem
- Nos fatum ducit — “Fate leads us.”
III. The Rose Cross
- Sub Rosa Silentium → Under the Rose, Silence
- Ex Deo Nascimur, In Jesu Morimur, Per Spiritum Sanctum Reviviscimus → From God we are born, in Jesus we die, through the Holy Spirit we are reborn
- Lux Lucet in Tenebris → The Light shines in the darkness
- Rosae Crucis Frater Ignotus → Unknown Brother of the Rose Cross
- Veritas Temporis Filia → Truth is the daughter of Time
- Temporibus Revelabitur → It shall be revealed in its time
- Laborare et Contemplari → To work and to contemplate
- Ad Gloriam Dei et Salutem Hominum → To the Glory of God and the Healing of Mankind
- Non pro fama, sed pro veritate → Not for fame, but for truth
- Scientia Sacra, Amor Occultus → Sacred Knowledge, Hidden Love
- Via Interior, Lux Aeterna → The inward path, the eternal light
- Ars sine arte, scientia sine scientia, lux sine lumine → An art without art, a knowledge without knowledge, a light without light
- Qui vocatus non est, videat et taceat → He who is not called, let him see and be silent
- In Arcana Dei Ingressus Est → He has entered into the secrets of God
- In Cruce Rosea Floret Silentium → In the Rose Cross, Silence blossoms
- Veritas et Caritas in Cruce → Truth and Love in the Cross
- Crux Mihi Salus, Rosa Mihi Flos → The Cross my salvation, the Rose my flower
- Sub Rosa Crucis, in Arcano → Beneath the Rose of the Cross, in secrecy
- Lux e Tenebris → Light out of darkness
- "Under the shadow of thy wings, Jehovah."
- Dat Rosa Mel Apibus → The Rose gives honey to the bees — Rosicrucian motto.
- Post CXX annos patebo → After 120 years I shall open — Inscription on the Vault of Christian Rosenkreuz; Fama Fraternitatis.
- Nequaquam vacuum → Nowhere a void — Inscription in the Vault of the Adepts.
- Legis jugum → The yoke of the Law — Inscription in the Vault of the Adepts.
- Libertas Evangelii → Liberty of the Gospel — Inscription in the Vault of the Adepts.
- Dei gloria intacta → The glory of God inviolate — Inscription in the Vault of the Adepts.
- Jesus mihi omnia → Jesus is everything to me — From the Fama Fraternitatis.
- Per Rosam ad Crucem, per Crucem ad Rosam → Through the Rose to the Cross, through the Cross to the Rose
- Igne Nitrum Roris Invenitur → By fire the nitre of the dew is found — Rosicrucian esoteric reading of I.N.R.I.
- Benedictus Dominus Deus noster qui dedit nobis signum → Blessed be the Lord our God who has given us the sign — Rosicrucian invocation.
- Frater Rosae Crucis, Frater Lucis → Brother of the Rose Cross, Brother of Light
- Lux in extensione → Light in extension — Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
IV. The Hermetic-Alchemical Art
- Ars Regia → The Royal Art
- Solve et Coagula → Dissolve and bind
- Sicut superius, ita inferius → As above, so below
- In stercore invenitur → It is found in dung
- Natura activa laetatur natura passiva → The active nature rejoices in the passive nature
- Volatile et Fixum → The Volatile and the Fixed
- Nuptiae Caeli et Terrae → Marriage of Heaven and Earth
- Opera Mulieris, Ludus Pueri → Woman's work, child's play
- Visita Interiora Terrae, Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem → Visit the interior of the earth, and by rectification you shall find the hidden stone
- Est in Mercurio quicquid quaerunt sapientes → In Mercury is everything the wise seek
- Igne Natura Renovatur Integra → By fire, nature is wholly renewed
- Aqua permanens occultat ignem → The permanent water conceals the fire
- Si fixum solvas, facies volatile fixum → If you dissolve the fixed, you shall make the volatile fixed
- Aurora consurgens ex umbra mortis → The dawn rises out of the shadow of death
- Est natura ignis ascendere → It is the nature of fire to ascend
- Daemon est Deus inversus → The demon is God inverted
- Aurum in Calice, Rubor in Rosa → Gold in the Cup, Redness in the Rose
- Omnia in Omnibus → All things in all things
- Totum in toto, et totum in qualibet parte → The whole is in the whole, and the whole is in every part
- Non invidet mortali Deus immortalis → The immortal God does not envy the mortal
- Intus omnia → All things are within
- Ad astra per magicas artes → To the stars through magical arts
- Corpus Hermeticum: unus Deus, unus mundus, una mens, unus homo → One God, one world, one mind, one man
- Deus est circulus cuius centrum ubique, circumferentia nusquam → God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere
- Magus est homo Dei minister et mundi moderator → The magus is the servant of God and the governor of the world
- Angeli sunt virtutes Dei manifestatae → Angels are the manifested powers of God
- Nomina sunt virtutes → Names are powers
- Nomen sacrum portat potentiam → The sacred name bears power
- Lux occultata refulget → The hidden light shines forth
- Templa sibi qui facit, Deum facit → He who builds a temple for himself, makes God
- Qui scit veritatem, videt invisibilia → He who knows truth sees the invisible
- Aurum nostrum non est aurum vulgi → Our gold is not the common gold
- Ignis et azoth tibi sufficiunt → Fire and azoth are sufficient for thee
- Natura naturam vincit → Nature conquers nature
- Nigredo est initium operis → The Blackening is the beginning of the Work
- Mortificatio praecedit vivificationem → Mortification precedes vivification
- Rex moritur, rex resurgit → The king dies, the king rises again
- Lapis philosophorum est in te → The Philosopher's Stone is within you
- Unus est lapis, una medicina, unum vas → One is the stone, one the medicine, one the vessel — Rosarium Philosophorum
- Fac de mare et femina circulum → Make of the male and female a circle — Rosarium Philosophorum
- Album fac nigrum, et nigrum fac album → Make the white black, and the black white
- Aurum potabile → Drinkable gold
- Anima mundi → The Soul of the World
- Unum fit duo, duo fit tria, et ex tertio unum fit quartum → One becomes two, two becomes three, and from the third comes the fourth as one — Axiom of Maria Prophetissa.
- Draco non moritur nisi cum fratre et sorore sua → The dragon does not die except with its brother and sister — Alchemical maxim.
- Sal, Sulphur, Mercurius — Tria Prima → Salt, Sulphur, Mercury — the Three Primes — Paracelsus.
- Lapis exilis → The worthless stone — Wolfram von Eschenbach's name for the Grail-stone; also an alchemical cipher.
- Natura non facit saltum → Nature does not make a leap
- Tam ethice quam physice → As much ethically as physically — Alchemical principle: the Work transforms the soul as much as matter.
- Homo est Deus mortalis, Deus est homo immortalis → Man is a mortal god, God is an immortal man — Hermetic aphorism.
V. The Mysteries & Initiation
- Mysteria non revelantur nisi initiatis → The mysteries are not revealed except to the initiated
- Clavis Arcanorum → The Key of the Mysteries
- Qui scit, tacet. Qui nescit, loquitur. → He who knows is silent. He who does not, speaks.
- Initium sapientiae silentium est → The beginning of wisdom is silence
- Mysteria non traduntur nisi mystis → The mysteries are not handed down except to the initiated
- Arcana Dei non sunt divulganda → The secrets of God are not to be divulged
- In tenebris absconditur lumen → In darkness, the light is hidden
- Veritas in enigmate → Truth in riddle
- Sapientia occulta in parabolas loquitur → Hidden wisdom speaks in parables
- Omnia mysteria signis teguntur → All mysteries are veiled in signs
- Scriptum est in corde, non in charta → It is written in the heart, not on parchment
- Qui caret Clave, strepit extra Templum → He who lacks the Key stands clanging outside the Temple
- Clavis est Amor, Janua est Mors → The Key is Love, the Gate is Death
- Mysteria abscondita sunt in simplicibus → The mysteries are hidden in the simple things
- Arcanum Magnum est silentium interioris lucis → The Great Secret is the silence of the inner light
- Per Clavem aperitur Intus → Through the Key, the Within is opened
- Mysteria docentur per signa, non verba → The Mysteries are taught through signs, not words
- Nulla via ad Arcanum nisi per mortem voluntatis → There is no path to the Secret but through the death of the will
- Initium Arcanorum est oblivio mundi → The beginning of the Mysteries is the forgetting of the world
- Sine signo, nihil revelatur → Without the sign, nothing is revealed
- In silentio veritas → In silence, truth
- Ars est celare artem → The art is to conceal the art
- Scire, Velle, Audere, Tacere → To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Be Silent — The Four Powers of the Sphinx.
- Sapere aude → Dare to be wise — Horace; adopted by the esoteric tradition.
- Mors janua vitae → Death is the gate of life
- Noli foras ire, in interiori homine habitat veritas → Do not go outside; truth dwells within man — Augustine.
- Per aspera ad astra → Through hardships to the stars
- Nitimur in vetitum → We strive for the forbidden — Ovid
- Insomni custodita dracone → Guarded by an ever-wakeful dragon
- Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae → This is the place where death delights to help life — Inscription at mystery-school thresholds and anatomy theaters.
- Initiatio est secunda nativitas → Initiation is a second birth
- Lex Silentii → The Law of Silence
- Frange sigillum, perde arcanum → Break the seal, lose the secret
VI. Astrology & the Celestial Art
- Sapiens dominabitur astris → The wise man will rule the stars
- Astra inclinant, non necessitant → The stars incline, they do not compel
- Astra regunt homines, sed Deus regit astra → The stars rule men, but God rules the stars
- Coelum est liber vivus → The sky is a living book
- Tempus est imago aeternitatis → Time is the image of eternity — Plato, Timaeus
- In astris scriptum est → It is written in the stars
- In motu caelorum mens divina loquitur → In the motion of the heavens, the divine mind speaks
- Per stellas ascendimus → Through the stars, we ascend
- Astra sunt scala caelorum → The stars are the ladder of the heavens
- Quod est supra, stellis figuratur infra → What is above is traced by the stars below
- Signa caeli narrant gloriam Dei → The signs of the heavens declare the glory of God — Psalm 19
- Zodiacus est rota vitae → The zodiac is the wheel of life
- Ordo caelestis infigitur animae humanae → The celestial order is imprinted upon the human soul
- Sol et Luna sunt luminaria magna → The Sun and Moon are the great luminaries
- Stella matutina → The morning star
- Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt → Those who cross the sea change their sky, not their soul — Horace
- Fata volentem ducunt, nolentem trahunt → The Fates lead the willing and drag the unwilling — Seneca, after Cleanthes.
- Sol omnibus lucet → The sun shines upon all
- Sub Saturno nascimur, sub Jove vivimus, sub Marte pugnamus → Under Saturn we are born, under Jupiter we live, under Mars we fight
- Luna est speculum Solis → The Moon is the mirror of the Sun
- Planetae sunt instrumenta Providentiae → The planets are the instruments of Providence
VII. The Templar Holy Knight
- Vivere militare est — “To live is to fight.”
- Si vis pacem, para bellum → If you wish for peace, prepare for war — Vegetius, De Re Militari
- Vita hominis super terram militia est → Man's life on earth is warfare — Job 7:1
- Non glorietur accinctus ut discinctus → Let not him who puts on the armor boast like him who takes it off — 1 Kings 20:11
- Disce pati, disce vincere → Learn to endure, learn to conquer
- Ferrum est ultima ratio → The sword is the final argument
- Ars belli, ars regni → The art of war is the art of rule
- Miles Christi, miles animi → Soldier of Christ, soldier of the soul
- Fortes fortuna adiuvat → Fortune favors the bold — Virgil, Aeneid
- Spes in gladio, victoria in corde → Hope in the sword, victory in the heart
- Imperare sibi maximum est imperium → To command oneself is the greatest empire — Seneca
- Nulla dies sine disciplina → No day without discipline
- Pro veritate et victoria morior → For truth and victory, I die
- Vincit qui patitur → He conquers who endures
- Non vi, sed virtute → Not by force, but by virtue
- Acta non verba → Deeds, not words
- Vincere aut mori → To conquer or die
- Virtus vincit omnia → Virtue conquers all
- Immensum gloria calcar habet → Glory gives an immense stimulus
- Horae momento, cita mors venit aut victoria laeta → In a moment comes either sudden death or joyful victory
- Non metuit mortem qui scit contemnere vitam → He fears not death who has learned to despise life
- Gladius spiritus, quod est verbum Dei → The sword of the spirit, which is the word of God — Ephesians 6:17
- Nulla victoria sine sacrificio → No victory without sacrifice
- Monachus pugnat contra mundum, carnem et diabolum → The monk fights against the world, the flesh, and the devil
- Per crucem ad lūcem — “Through the cross to the light.”
VIII. Sacred Law & Divine Order
- Lex naturae est lex Dei → The law of nature is the law of God
- Lex iniusta non est lex → An unjust law is no law at all — Augustine, echoed by Aquinas.
- Lex scripta non superat legem cordis → The written law does not surpass the law of the heart
- Verus rex legi Dei obedit → The true king obeys the law of God
- Discernere est regere → To discern is to govern
- Libertas sine disciplina ruina est → Liberty without discipline is ruin
- Ordo est imago aeternitatis → Order is the image of eternity
- Auctoritas nascitur ex veritate → Authority is born from truth
- Verus magistratus ministrat, non dominatur → The true ruler serves, not dominates
- Nulla potestas nisi a Deo → There is no power but from God — Romans 13:1
- Verus liber est is qui se subicit legi divinae → The truly free man is he who submits to divine law
- Ordo in omnibus rebus est via Dei → Order in all things is the way of God
- Fiat justitia, ruat coelum → Let justice be done, though the heavens fall
- Dura lex, sed lex → The law is hard, but it is the law
- Salus populi suprema lex esto → The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law — Cicero
- Ubique sunt et gradus et ordo → Everywhere there are degrees and order — St. Bonaventure
- Lex orandi, lex credendi → The law of prayer is the law of belief
- Justitia est constans et perpetua voluntas jus suum cuique tribuendi → Justice is the constant and perpetual will to give to each his due — Justinian
- Rex sub Deo et lege → The king is under God and the law — Bracton
IX. Love, Beauty & the Venusian Path
- Amor vincit omnia → Love conquers all — Virgil, Eclogues
- Pulchritudo est lumen veritatis → Beauty is the light of truth
- Ludus amoris est ludus dei → The game of love is the game of God
- Oculi sunt sagittae Veneris → The eyes are the arrows of Venus
- Flamma amoris accendit animam → The flame of love kindles the soul
- Tactus est oratio carnis → Touch is the prayer of the flesh
- Amor est initium et finis sapientiae → Love is the beginning and end of wisdom
- Cor regit, non ratio → The heart rules, not reason
- Ubi amor, ibi oculus → Where there is love, there is vision
- Clavis scientiae est amor → Love is the key of knowledge
- Vulnerasti cor meum, soror mea sponsa → You have wounded my heart, my sister, my bride — Song of Solomon 4:9
- Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi → My beloved is mine, and I am his — Song of Solomon 2:16
- Fulcite me floribus, quia amore langueo → Sustain me with flowers, for I am sick with love — Song of Solomon 2:5
- Amor est vitae essentia → Love is the essence of life
- Sine amicitia vitam esse nullam → There is no life without friendship — Cicero
- Stella Maris → Star of the Sea — Ancient title of the Virgin Mary; also a name of Venus.
- Tota pulchra es, amica mea, et macula non est in te → You are altogether beautiful, my love, and there is no blemish in you — Song of Solomon 4:7
- Pulchritudo splendor veritatis → Beauty is the splendor of truth — Plato, via Aquinas.
- Flos florum → Flower of flowers — Marian title.
- Ars amandi, ars vivendi → The art of loving is the art of living
X. Scripture, Prayer & the Sacred Word
- Fiat Lux → Let there be Light — Genesis 1:3
- In principio erat Verbum → In the beginning was the Word — John 1:1
- Verbum caro factum est → The Word was made flesh — John 1:14
- Lux in tenebris lucet → The light shines in the darkness — John 1:5
- Spiritus ubi vult spirat → The Spirit bloweth where it will — John 3:8
- Veritas liberabit vos → The truth shall set you free — John 8:32
- Fiat voluntas tua → Thy will be done
- Sic fiat voluntas tua super terram sicut in caelo → Let Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
- Per verbum, omnia fiunt → Through the Word, all things are made
- Per crucem ad lucem → Through the cross to the light
- Crux mihi lux → The Cross is my light
- Crux est porta → The Cross is the gate
- In lumine Tuo videbimus lumen → In Thy light shall we see light — Psalm 36:9
- Non moriar, sed vivam, et narrabo opera Domini → I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord — Psalm 118:17
- Initium sapientiae timor Domini → The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord — Psalm 111:10
- In silentio et spe erit fortitudo vestra → In silence and hope shall be your strength — Isaiah 30:15
- Sapientia aedificavit sibi domum → Wisdom has built herself a house — Proverbs 9:1
- Hoc fac et vivet anima tua → Do this, and thy soul shall live
- Nolite dare sanctum canibus → Do not give the sacred to dogs — Matthew 7:6
- Sicut Moses fecit omnia secundum exemplar quod ostensum est ei in monte → As Moses made all things according to the pattern shown him on the mountain
- Exorcizo te, immunde spiritus, in nomine Dei vivi → I exorcise thee, unclean spirit, in the name of the living God
- Verbum, Lux, Spiritus → Word, Light, Spirit
- Ego sum Alpha et Omega → I am the Alpha and the Omega — Revelation 1:8
- Ego sum via, veritas et vita → I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life — John 14:6
- Consummatum est → It is finished — John 19:30
- Ecce Homo → Behold the Man — John 19:5
- Ecce, nova facio omnia → Behold, I make all things new — Revelation 21:5
- Sursum corda → Lift up your hearts — Liturgical.
- Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi → Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world — Liturgical.
- Veni, Creator Spiritus → Come, Creator Spirit — Liturgical hymn.
- Lapis quem reprobaverunt aedificantes, hic factus est in caput anguli → The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner — Psalm 118:22
- Ave Regina caelorum → Hail, Queen of Heaven — Liturgical.
- Vos estis lux mundi → You are the light of the world — Matthew 5:14
- Semen est sanguis Christianorum → The blood of the Christians is seed — Tertullian
- Nisi quis renatus fuerit denuo, non potest videre regnum Dei → Unless one is born again, one cannot see the kingdom of God — John 3:3
- Ubi Spiritus Domini, ibi libertas → Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty — 2 Corinthians 3:17
- Estote prudentes sicut serpentes et simplices sicut columbae → Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves — Matthew 10:16
- Thesaurizate vobis thesauros in caelo → Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven — Matthew 6:20
XI. Wisdom, Lore & the Way of Study
- Nosce Te Ipsum → Know Thyself
- Memento Mori → Remember you must die
- Scientia est Potentia → Knowledge is Power
- Nulla dies sine linea → No day without a line
- Aut inveniam viam, aut faciam → I will either find a way, or make one
- Festina lente → Make haste slowly
- Ora et Labora → Pray and work
- Da quod vis accipere → Give what you wish to receive
- Ad Fontem Sapientiae → To the Fountain of Wisdom
- Liber librum aperit → One book opens another
- Ora, Lege, Lege, Lege, Relege, Labora et Invenies → Pray, read, read, read, re-read, work, and you will find
- Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto → I am human; I consider nothing human alien to me — Terence
- Docendo discimus → By teaching, we learn — Seneca
- Per angusta ad augusta → Through difficulties to greatness
- Sapiens qui prospicit → Wise is he who looks ahead
- Pulvis et umbra sumus → We are but dust and shadow — Horace
- Sic transit gloria mundi → Thus passes the glory of the world
- Otium sine litteris mors est → Leisure without literature is death — Seneca
- Rerum cognoscere causas → To know the causes of things — Virgil
- Labore et Constantia → By labor and constancy
- Ars longa, vita brevis → Art is long, life is short — Hippocrates
- Non scholae, sed vitae discimus → We learn not for school, but for life — Seneca
- Veritas odium parit → Truth begets hatred — Terence
- Barba nōn facit philosophoum — “A beard doesn't make one a philosopher”
XII. The Temple & the Craft
- Ordo ab Chao → Order out of Chaos — Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
- Deus Meumque Jus → God and My Right — Motto of the 33rd Degree.
- Spes mea in Deo est → My hope is in God — Motto of the 32nd Degree.
- Virtus junxit, mors non separabit → Virtue has united, death shall not separate
- Audi, Vide, Tace → Hear, See, Be Silent — Masonic maxim.
- Ex tenebris ad lucem → From darkness to light
- Nil nisi clavis deest → Nothing is wanting but the Key — Motto of the Royal Arch.
- In Deo fiducia → In God is our trust
- Lux fiat → Let there be light — The first word spoken in the Lodge.
- Ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem → Out of shadows and images into truth
- Fundamentum omnium bonorum est caritas → The foundation of all good things is charity
- Silentium est aureum → Silence is golden
- Ne plus ultra → Nothing more beyond — Motto of the 30th Degree, Knight Kadosh.
- Latomia sacra → Sacred stonework
- Caementarii liberi et accepti → Free and Accepted Masons
- In medio stat virtus → Virtue stands in the middle
XIII. Death, Resurrection & the Phoenix
- Per mortem ad vitam → Through death to life
- Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando → Death and life contended in a wondrous battle — Easter Sequence (Victimae Paschali Laudes).
- Moritur ut resurgat → It dies so that it may rise again
- In morte vita → In death, life
- Phoenix ex cinere resurgit → The Phoenix rises from the ashes
- Seminatur in corruptione, surgitur in incorruptione → It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption — 1 Corinthians 15:42
- Nisi granum frumenti cadens in terram mortuum fuerit → Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies — John 12:24
- Post tenebras lux → After darkness, light
- Renascetur ex cineribus → It shall be reborn from the ashes
- Oportet mori ut vivat → It is necessary to die in order to live
- Victor mortis → Conqueror of death
- O mors, ero mors tua; morsus tuus ero, inferne → O death, I shall be thy death; O hell, I shall be thy sting — Hosea 13:14
- Mortui vivos docent → The dead teach the living
- Ex ossibus ultor → From the bones, an avenger — Virgil, Aeneid
XIV. The Gnostic Flame
- Agnosia est mors animae → Ignorance is the death of the soul
- Scintilla animae → The spark of the soul — Meister Eckhart; cf. the Valentinian spinther.
- Sophia lapsa et rediviva → Wisdom fallen and restored — The Gnostic myth of Sophia.
- Pneuma contra Hylen → Spirit against Matter
- Deus absconditus → The hidden God
- Qui se ipsum novit, Deum novit → He who knows himself, knows God — Gnostic maxim; cf. Clement of Alexandria.
- Non sum de hoc mundo → I am not of this world — John 8:23; the Gnostic watchword.
- Pleroma est plenitudo Dei → The Pleroma is the fullness of God
- Qui invenit interpretationem horum verborum, mortem non gustabit → Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death — Gospel of Thomas, Saying 1.
- Quaerite et invenietis; pulsate et aperietur vobis → Seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you — Matthew 7:7; central to Gnostic soteriology.
- Lux de Lumine → Light from Light — Nicene Creed; also the Gnostic chain of emanation.
- Mundus est carceri animae → The world is the prison of the soul
XV. Kabbalah & the Hebrew Mysteries
- Ein Sof → Without End — The Infinite; the unknowable Godhead beyond all attributes.
- Or Ein Sof → The Limitless Light
- Kether Elyon → The Supreme Crown — The first Sephirah.
- Decem Sephiroth Belimah → Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness — Sefer Yetzirah.
- Triginta duae semitae sapientiae → Thirty-two paths of wisdom — Sefer Yetzirah.
- Be-reshith bara Elohim → In the beginning, God created — Genesis 1:1; the foundation of all Kabbalistic cosmology.
- Tikkun Olam → Repair of the World — Lurianic Kabbalah.
- Tsimtsum → Contraction — God withdrew to make space for creation; Isaac Luria.
- Shekhinah → The Divine Presence — The feminine indwelling of God.
- Da'ath est porta abyssi → Knowledge is the gate of the abyss — The hidden Sephirah on the Tree of Life.
- Etz Chayyim → The Tree of Life
- Chokmah u-Binah, Abba ve-Imma → Wisdom and Understanding, Father and Mother — The supernal parents on the Tree of Life.