GOLDEN ROSE: A JOURNEY OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND FIRE IN ART

Golden Rose is the third painting in my White Rose series. Unlike the first two pieces, which were created through punctual meditation experiences, the concept for this painting evolved from a desire to express the fiery principles present in the earlier works. I initially called this piece “Fire Rose” due to its emphasis on the solar fire and the white rose as its material, manifested complement. Over time, the fire principle became central, refining (literally) into gold and focusing on the painting’s center.

This painting mirrors my meditative experience of consciousness refinement. Meditation often involves immersing in a non-physical quality — light, sound, color— and stabilizing in it, which leads to deeper refinement of consciousness. What begins as a grosser awareness transforms into states of being. There is a shift from outward sensory dynamics to an inward dynamic where consciousness holds itself from the inside, generating a momentum of internalization.

Golden Rose speaks to these encompassing principles of consciousness, and the practice of these principles while I was painting it.  The painting provides a handle to the states of a return to center or source.

Symbolism and Composition

In Golden Rose, the white rose emerges from the solar Spirit-fire, symbolizing an etheric life force arising from an unfallen substance. The use of a coherent gold background implies Sun symbolism. This painting can be seen as a zoomed-out version of Peace Rose, the second painting in the White Rose series.

I chose a rose with sharply shaped petals and a geometric arrangement to resonate with the fiery quality of consciousness I was feeling. The classical structure of the rose, with a defined central bulb and outward-fanning petals, appealed to me.

From the flower’s central radiance, two long, thin rays of light emerge on the vertical and horizontal axes. This implied cross brings a focal point to the painting, providing both the eye and awareness a place to rest. Symbolically, the cross represents the incarnation of spirit (vertical line) into the material world (horizontal line).

Digital ‘sketches’ of Golden Rose, with the decagon geometry laid on top, and my re-drawing of the petal shapes to accompany the geometry.

Alchemical and Geometric Influences

As Samuel Sagan explains in Planetary Forces 2.6: Cross = Incarnation into Matter, the cross symbolizes the spiritual evolution process. Alchemically, it represents the transformation of metals in a crucible, paralleling the human incarnation experience on Earth. The cross divides a circle into four quadrants, symbolizing matter and dynamic transformation.

In composing this piece, I also used the ten-fold geometry of the decagon. I layered this design over the rose image and adjusted the petal shapes to reflect the intersections, angles, and points of this geometry. The Decad symbolizes fulfillment, expanded power, and new beginnings, encompassing all numeric principles before it and returning to the source.

As Michael S. Schneider states in A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe, the Decad represents the completion of a journey and a return to the origin after a purifying ninefold experience. It signifies a new beginning, a journey into limitlessness. Iamblichus also referred to the Decad as “ever-flowing Nature,” representing the eternal and harmonious nature of all things.

Meditative and Creative Movements

The centralizing element in this painting reflects my meditative practice whilst painting, where I engaged with the subtle centralizing intensity of solar fire. The process involved refining, falling out, noticing the lapse, and returning to the fire repeatedly. This mirrors the movements of emergence and internalization in meditation and creative processes. Now, when I look at this painting sometimes the painting draws me into its center; other times, I feel the birthing outward movement. Golden Rose embodies both polarities, serving as a powerful device to center my awareness during busy days and challenging periods.  Currently it anchors centering energy into my studio, while it awaits it’s forever home.

Golden Rose combines multiple layers of imagery and symbolism—the solar gold, white rose, cross, and Decad—into a profound dance along the threshold where polarities resolve. This painting embraces the mysteries and serves as a powerful meditative tool, bringing awareness back to center and anchoring calm energy into my studio.

To get more information on how you can use artwork to anchor and uplift your space, check out this article.

Want to purchase a print of Golden Rose? Click here.

Want to purchase the original painting? Drop me a line by emailing info at yohanna jessup dot com.

And finally, to learn more about this painting’s sister piece, “Sky Rose”, the 4th painting of the series, check out this article.