Crux Ansata is Latin for “handle-shaped cross,” referring to the ankh. The ankh cross is a sacred symbol which alludes to the manifestation of the divine life force. It also signifies the divine union of opposites; active and passive, male and female. The ankh combines the masculine Tau shape with the feminine oval, alluding to the powers of generation. The shape of the ankh expresses a profound idea—that of the circle of life spreading outwards from its origin and manifesting into the four elements. From another point of view, the circle of the ankh alludes to the sun, the horizontal line to the sky, and the vertical line to the Earth. As a microcosmic sign, the circle would represent the human head or reasoning powers (or the sun, which gives man life), the horizontal line his arms, and the upright line his body.
Of primary importance is the fact that the ankh is a form of the symbol of Venus, the planet whose wall is the door into the Vault of the Adepti (i.e. the Second Order). It is thus the symbolic “key” into the temple of the Inner Order, the “Key of Life,” and another form of the Rose and Cross. Venus is the only planet whose sigil embraces all of the Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Therefore the wand is painted to represent the force of the ten Sephiroth in nature, divided into a hexad and a tetrad. The oval embraces the first six Sephiroth, and the Tau Cross contains the lower four, answering to the four elements. This “Key of Life” is a potent tool for unlocking centers of energy within the Adept: creating a pathway for the natural influx of divine Light.
