of Formation, naturally! And this the Third Phase or Realm of Formation here is symbolized by the moon.
The arcades above the rose window then are the MATERIA PRIMA, or the Second World of Creation with its keyword, Tiph-êreth - meaning Beauty and Glory: "For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory". Here in the Celestial Realm the Elowhêem, the Philosophers of Heliopolis are taking counsel for the creation of the worlds.
That Second Phase and Realm must certainly possess the attributes of beauty and glory, for it is the reflection of the celestial glory of the First Realm of the Beginning and therefore is represented by the sun.
We have found therefore in the masonry of the Gothic cathedral a well-known threefold pattern: The MATERIA PRIMA which manifests the Celestial glory of the spiritual creation, represented by the sun; the MATERIA SECUNDA, which manifests the Terrestrial glory of the terror and trial of forming gross matter, and which is symbolized by the moon; and the MATERIA TERTIA, which manifests the Telestial glory of perfecting and completing (Gr. teleo, to complete) the work, symbolized by the planet earth.
The apex of the nave, at last, as well as those of the transepts denote the First Realm of "In the beginning" or b’reisheeth (Gen.1:1) or b’rowsheeth, where the last letter "th" stands for the Hebrew letter "taaw" and means - cross. And the cross will section the "rowsh" which means, head, into four quarters, and so we have the rowsheecross or rosicross, meaning Headquarters. These headquarters therefore are the PRIMA CAUSA - the Beginning or Rosicross, where the Archetypes of all living things are being guarded by the Rosicrucians - who are the eternal guardians of these archetypes or mysteries of creation.
The apex is adorned sometimes with a cross, with a circle around its center (which is the glyph for the Attic letter "tau"), the area of which thus is again sectioned into four quarters, and so that glyph is the symbol for the rosicross, for the headquarters of the Creator God JHWH the LORD: The Alpha and Omega, the Aalef and the Taaw, the Beginning and the End - the PRIMA CAUSA of all things.
Its keyword is Kêther, which means Crown, and authority and revelation from on high: PRIMUM MOBILE, Reishêeth HaGilgoolêem, the Beginning of the Swirlings!
The Ancient Tradition always is a living tradition, which means two things: First, it's being carried on by groups or societies of living persons and is not just in the books. Second, there must be attached some useful work; theory must be connected to practice, as for example the healing of the sick, the production of food, or the construction of temples.
It is revelation and practice, which safeguard the Ancient Tradition against becoming corrupted.
The Ancient Tradition was revealed to man in order to complete the Creation and bring it, himself included, to perfection in its Fourth and Final Phase.
It stands in opposition to humanist and western thought which deny the Name of the LORD, and which are aimed not at the perfection of man: For their end is the glorification of man's potential and thus in essence, they are violations of the First Commandment.
Now if the apices of Gothic cathedrals, as shown above, represent the First Realm of the Beginning, the Divine Headquarters - then the Crown Tabernacle, the triangle on the face of the attic, right below the apex is the residence of JHWH the LORD - because He resides in a tabernacle which means a tent.
