Part IV. The Universal Androgyne
PART IV
THE UNIVERSAL ANDROGYNE
In the Secret Doctrine of the Rosicrucians, we find the following Third Aphorism:
The Third Aphorism
III. The One became Two. The Neuter became Bi-Sexual. Male and Female—the Two in One—evolved from the Neuter. And the work of Generation began.
In this Third Aphorism of Creation the Rosicrucian is directed to apply his attention to the conception of the World Soul—the First Manifestation of the Eternal Parent—as a Bi-sexual Universal Being. This Bi-Sexual. Universal Being, combining within itself the elements and principles of both Masculinity and Femininity, is known in the Rosicrucian Teachings as "The Universal Hermaphrodite," and "The Universal Androgyne."
The term "Hermaphrodite" is defined as: "An individual which has the attributes of both Male and Female." The term is derived by joining together the two names, viz., Hermes and Aphrodite. The term came into ancient use through the legend of Hermaphroditus, son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who, while bathing, became joined in one body with the nymph Salmacis. The term "Androgyne" is defined as: "An individual possessing the attributes of both Male and Female; a Hermaphrodite." The term is
derived from the combination of two Greek words, viz., "Andros," meaning "a man," and "Gyne," meaning "a woman."
The conception of the Bi-Sexuality in the Universal Manifestation, or Universal Being, is one met with on all sides in the ancient esoteric and occult philosophies in all lands. In ancient Greece, in