Christian Rosencreutz

...abandoned, and I could never retrieve it. For as soon as I turned back, such a great wind was so strongly against me that it easily knocked me down. Yet if I continued forward on the path, I noticed no wind at all. From this, I could easily conclude that it would cost me my life if I were to set myself against the wind. Therefore, I took up my cross A play on the narrator's name, Christian Rosencreutz. Taking up one's "cross" is a biblical metaphor for accepting one's destiny or burden. patiently, got to my feet, and thought that since it simply had to be, I would labor toward arriving there before nightfall. Although many plausible side-paths appeared, I always steered out with my
Compass original Latin: "Compassus."

compass, and I would not deviate a single step from the south-line original German: "Mittaglini." This refers to the meridian or the direct path toward the south, often associated in alchemy with heat and the culmination of a process., even though the path was sometimes so rough and untracked that I doubted it not a little. On such a way, I constantly thought of the dove and the raven, and yet I could not
Lodging original Latin: "Diversorium." This suggests the protagonist is now searching for a place to stay for the night.

figure it out through speculation. Until finally, on a high mountain, I saw a beautiful portal from afar. Even though it was far, far off the path, I
Sunset. ☉ original Latin: "Occasus" accompanied by the astronomical symbol for the Sun. This indicates the day is ending.

hurried toward it because the sun had already hidden itself behind the mountains, and I otherwise could not see any dwelling place for miles. I attribute this to God alone, who could have easily let me continue on that path and kept my eyes closed so that I would have overlooked such a gate. I hurried toward it now, as I said, with great haste, and I reached it while there was still enough daylight to inspect it as necessary. It was, however, an...

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