Lineages of The Rose

Dear Rosies,

When naming the company, we wanted to tap into something that spoke to the delicacy and strength of women- radiant, risen into her power- and something that spoke to sexual embodiment. We chose Rosebud for our intimate care offerings, nested in the larger story of the Rose. As you may know, there’s been a longstanding global intertwining of the rose and symbols of the sacred feminine. So today, I thought I would relate some stories of that lineage to you- maybe it will spark something in you, as it did in me, around the honoring of women in world cultures. 

So, what is it about roses and the feminine? Yes, there’s the morphological similarity of the vulva and the unfolding petals. Still, there has to be more- because the rose has woven itself into the global traditions of goddess worship, ancient mystery schools, and esoteric practices throughout history. In these lineages, the rose celebrates women’s spiritual power, sacred sexuality, and the journey of personal and collective awakening.

The rose is linked to the earliest goddesses of recorded human history, the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian goddesses Inanna and Ishtar. These goddesses dealt with love, war, and fertility. They embody the dual nature of love’s beauty and its capacity to conquer, much like the rose, which is both soft and thorny. 

In Greek and Roman mythology, the rose is sacred to Aphrodite (and her Roman counterpart, Venus), the goddess of love, beauty, and desire. According to legend, the first red roses sprang from the blood of Aphrodite’s lover, Adonis, merging themes of love and loss. This duality reflects the rose’s complex symbolism: it is a flower of beauty, passion, and the inevitability of pain—a reminder of the depth and transformative power of true love.

The rose also finds deep resonance in Christian mysticism, mainly through the figure of Mary Magdalene, who is often depicted holding or surrounded by red roses. Mary Magdalene’s association with the rose symbolizes her role as an embodiment of divine love, compassion, and redemption. She is seen as a vessel of sacred wisdom and the apostle to the apostles, representing the hidden, often suppressed, feminine aspect of early Christian teachings. 

The Sufi rose symbolizes the journey of the heart, the unfolding of spiritual awareness, and the beauty of the soul’s devotion to the divine. It speaks to the transformational power of love, which can soften even the hardest of hearts and guide the seeker toward unity with the divine essence.

So yes, the stories of the rose span continents, cultures, and centuries, reflecting universal themes of love, transformation, and the quest for higher wisdom. The journey of the rose—from a tightly closed bud to a fully blossomed flower—mirrors the process of growing fully into ourselves, an invitation to full beauty and strength. 

I'm going to be talking about the continuum of interventions for aging and menopause in a live stream on 9.15.24 in the evening: please follow @RosebudWoman on Instagram or Facebook to join that live.

Thank you, and please enjoy this piece.

All love, all the time,

Christine

Founder, Rosebud Woman
Host, The Rose Woman podcast on Love and Liberation