The Elemental Tablets and their connection to the Jerusalem Cross

Across the ancient world, long before Christianity adopted the Jerusalem Cross as its emblem, cultures were already using cross‑within‑cross symbols to express the structure of the cosmos. These early forms were not identical to the medieval Jerusalem Cross, but they carried the same essential meaning: a sacred center radiating into the four quarters of the world. In Mesopotamia, for example, the symbol of the four winds and the four corners of the earth was drawn as a central cross surrounded by directional marks, a cosmogram showing how divine force emanated outward. The Minoans and Mycenaeans carved similar patterns into seals and ritual objects, using a central solar cross with four subsidiary arms to represent the spread of light and order. The Celts used a solar cross divided into four, sometimes with smaller spokes or crosses in each quadrant, to map the seasons, the elements, and the turning of the heavens. Even in Egypt, the idea of a central divine axis radiating into four supports appears in the shen ring, the Djed pillar, and the four sons of Horus guarding the cardinal points. All of these symbols share the same underlying geometry: a center of unity surrounded by four emanations, a world structured by balance, direction, and radiating power.

The Jerusalem Cross pattern becomes even more meaningful when you look at how the Great Table, the original Enochian grid dictated to John Dee, was constructed. The Table is not simply a square of letters; it is a cosmic diagram built around a central axis of divine authority that radiates outward into the four elemental worlds. When the Golden Dawn later systematized the material, they recognized that the Table’s architecture already mirrored the geometry of the Jerusalem Cross: a large central cross surrounded by four smaller crosses, each governing a quadrant of creation. This was not an imposed interpretation but a recognition of the Table’s inherent structure. The angels gave Dee a design that naturally expresses the same symbolic logic as the Jerusalem Cross, unity at the center, emanation into the four quarters, and a fractal repetition of cross‑forms at every level.

In the Great Table, each of the four Elemental Tablets contains a Central Cross that holds the highest divine Names for that element. This central vertical‑and‑horizontal axis is the “great cross” of the Jerusalem Cross pattern. Surrounding it are the four sub‑angles, each with its own smaller cross of letters. These sub‑crosses generate the Kerubic angels, the Seniors, and the Governors, just as the four smaller crosses in the Jerusalem Cross represent the spread of sacred power into the four corners of the world. The Golden Dawn’s method of extracting names, beginning at the center and moving outward, was simply a way of following the Table’s own geometry. The divine Names unfold in a radiating pattern, just as the Jerusalem Cross expresses a radiating sacred force.

This radiating structure is essential to understanding the Great Table. Dee’s angels described the Table as governing the four quarters of the world, the winds, the elements, and the nations. It is a map of creation, not a static diagram. The Jerusalem Cross expresses the same cosmological idea: a sacred center from which divine influence spreads into the four directions. When the Golden Dawn used the Jerusalem Cross pattern to “show” the Names, they were reenacting the Table’s own emanation process. The magician begins at the central cross, the point of unity, and then moves outward into the elemental worlds, just as the divine force itself is said to flow from the highest heaven into the manifested universe.

The Great Table is also a fractal cross, repeating the same geometry at multiple scales. Each Tablet is a cross made of four smaller crosses, and each of those contains its own cross‑shaped arrangement of letters. This recursive pattern is identical to the Jerusalem Cross, which is itself a cross composed of crosses. The Golden Dawn recognized this fractal structure and used it as the key to unlocking the Table’s hierarchy. The Three Holy Names come from the central cross; the Six Seniors emerge from the larger cross‑structure; the Kerubic Names and sub‑angle governors arise from the smaller crosses. The entire system unfolds through the same geometry, making the Jerusalem Cross not just a symbol but a blueprint for navigating the Enochian universe.

Seen this way, the Golden Dawn’s use of the Jerusalem Cross is not a direct historical borrowing, but a recognition of a deeper pattern. The Great Table is a diagram of emanation, a map of how divine force descends into the four elemental realms. The Jerusalem Cross expresses the same metaphysical truth: a single sacred center radiating into the four corners of creation. By using this pattern to extract and display the Names, the Golden Dawn aligned their magical method with the Table’s own internal logic. The magician, tracing the Names in cross‑shaped sequences, is participating in the same act of emanation that the Table itself represents. It is a ritual reenactment of creation, guided by the geometry that lies at the heart of both the Great Table and the Jerusalem Cross.