in alchemical sequence, the Grail precedes the Rose. The vessel must be fashioned and cleansed before it can hold the water of life. Once filled, the water nourishes the hidden seed in the heart—until it blooms as the Rose upon the Cross.
- Quest for the Grail — purification, trials, service, devotion.
- Finding and Receiving — the inner marriage of soul and Spirit, theosis.
- Blooming of the Rose — the outward radiation of what has been inwardly received. Ressurection
Chalice of the Rose Cross
The 1247 "Chalice of the Rose Cross" contained alchemical elixir - Grand Master William de Sonnac sent King Henry III a crystalline vessel containing what was called "the blood of Christ" - actually the Red Lion, an alchemical elixir, establishing the Rose Cross symbolism centuries before Rosicrucianism.