The writings of occultism are replete with references to both of these terms, but many such references seem extremely vague and obscure.

The confusion of the terms “God, Deity, Creator and Absolute” make the definitions given extremely contradictory, as also the indiscriminate use of the terms “Universe, Heaven, World, Cosmos, and Chaos.” That the medieval Kabbalists understood and differentiated them is certain, but the manner in which they have employed them in their writings leaves much to be desired.

The usual expression, “the Microcosm of the Macrocosm” applies equally to the reflection of the Greater in the Lesser in all the kingdoms of Life and Creative Manifestation. The use in which these terms will be employed in the Rosicrucian teachings will be as follows:

MICROCOSM – Man

MACROCOSM – God. (Solar)

MICROPROSOPUS – Supreme Being (Universe)

MACROPROSOPUS – Absolute (Cosmos)

The following are some of the attributes of the differentiations as given in the Kabala and Hermetic Writings:

Microcosm— The Lesser World, or Man

* One of the two Tetragrammaton.

* The Heavenly Man, the Manifested Logos.

* The Triangle in the Square ; the Sevenfold Cube.

* The Male-Female.

* Man, a compound of Intellect and Matter, is the Microcosm of the Macrocosm or Great Universe.

* Medieval Kabbalists, following the Jewish, also called Man the Microcosm.

* Ancient philosophers called Earth the Microcosm of the Macrocosm, and Man the outcome of the two.

* Macrocosm and Microcosm, the Universe and our Globe are the dual characters of the Universal Matrix of Cosmos personified.

* Represented by a Pentagon. Pentagon within a Hexagonal Star, the Macrocosm.

* Triad or Triangle becomes Tetraktys, the sacred Pythagorean Number; the Perfect Square and a six faced Cube on Earth.

Macrocosm— The Greater World or God.

* Absolutely Perfect Square or Tetraktys in a Circle.

* AIN—the Negatively Existent.

* God,—Universe; Solar System.

* Represented by a Hexagon.

MICROPROSOPUS & MACROPROSOPUS

Microprosopus

* Universe; Supreme Being.

* Ateh—”Thou,” Ani—”I” when speaking.

* The Lesser Countenance.

* Supernal Adam.

* Six of the Sephiroth.

* The Crown, Kether.

Macroprosopus

* The Greater Countenance.

* The Vast Countenance.

* The Great Face; in Chaldean a pure abstraction.

* The Word or Logos.

* Cosmos, in form of a Man.

* Adam Kadmon.

* Hua—”He,” the Hidden and Concealed.

* The whole ten Sephiroth represent the Heavenly Man or Primordial Being Adm Oilah. Adam Anilah. Arik Anpin.

* Six and Five, Male and Female, Hexagon and Pentagon.

* Hua, Ateh, and Ani—A—Aleph is the ending of one and the beginning of the other two, the connecting link as it were. It is the symbol of the UNITY, and the unvarying idea of the Divine operating through all these. But behind the Aleph in the name Hua are the letters – and n, the symbols of the numbers six and five.

* Man’s resemblance.—The Microcosm of Man resembles the Macrocosm of the Universe in all its aspects except that of external form.

* Man’s midway position.—Thus Man occupies a unique place in the Arcana of Nature—he stands alone midway as it were between the long ages past when his involutional development began, and the untold ages to come, when his evolutional processes shall be accomplished.

* Man, the key to all worlds.—Rosicrucians therefore regard Man as the embodiment of all conditions objective and subjective, and find in him the key to worlds terrestrial and celestial, material and spiritual, seen and unseen.

Our first contemplation of Man, objectively, reveals three conditions:

1. A visible organism.

2. Evidence of an actuating power or motive force.

3. Evidence of a directing intelligence operating from within.

Body, Life, Mind.—The first of these conditions we commonly describe as the BODY, the second as the LIFE and the third as the MIND. Careful analysis shows the error of these concepts. Spirit—Principle.

Rosicrucians teach that MATTER is the external manifestation of an internal or invisible “PRINCIPLE.”  That “Principle” is SPIRIT.  Everything that exists, visibly or invisibly, objectively or subjectively, MUST HAVE SUBSTANCE.

Force.

—The modus of its operation is FORCE.

—MATTER may be termed the external manifestation of SPIRIT substance, in other words, CRYSTALLIZED SPIRIT.  Matter, crystallized Spirit.

—SPIRIT may be regarded as Matter, so sublimated and etherealized as to be invisible and intangible.  Spirit, sublimate Matter.

—PRIMORDIAL SUBSTANCE.

Grades of Density.—As there are many grades of density in Matter, so there are many grades of density in Spirit.  Life.

—The FORCE by which and through which SPIRIT manifests itself as Matter or through the various so-called phenomena of Nature, is LIFE.  Therefore, LIFE may be termed the visible expression of SPIRIT POWER.

Universal Principle.

—Rosicrucians define it as the UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE, the activity of UNIVERSAL SPIRIT OR PRIMORDIAL SUBSTANCE.

Note — Life is present everywhere, in a stone or plant as well as in an animal or Man, and there is nothing in Nature which is entirely destitute of Life; because all things are a manifestation of the ONE LIFE or ONE FORCE which fills the Universe. In some bodies the activity of Life is so slow that it may be looked at as dormant or latent, in others it is rapid; but a form which is deserted by the Life Principle ceases to exist as a form.

ATTRACTION, COHESION, GRAVITATION, etc., are all manifestations of Life, while in animals this activity progresses toward a state of self-consciousness which culminates (is perfected) in Man. To suppose that Life is a product of the mechanical or physiological activity of an organism is to mistake effects for causes, and causes for effects.

—Man is an ABSOLUTELY SPIRITUAL BEING, who by the operation of SPIRIT POWER, UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE OR LIFE ; has, by a specific process, CRYSTALLIZED his external substance into a form of MATTER known as his DENSE or PHYSICAL ENVELOPE or BODY.  Man a Spiritual Being.

—This “specific process” is INVOLUTION.  Involution is defined as the Descent of Spirit into Matter, or the process of crystallization whereby Spirit attains a vehicle for visible manifestation, expression, or contact with other objective conditions.  Involution.

—It has been written that everything that exists, either visibly or invisibly, must have substance. The one reality that can fulfil the requirements of this substance is Spirit. Therefore Spirit is the UNIVERSAL SUBSTANCE. It is the Cosmic Ocean in which all things from Universes and Solar Systems to Man are but its crystallized forms.  Universal Substance.

—As the ABSOLUTE exists, it must be Spirit. We are told by theologians that “God is a Spirit.” The ABSOLUTE and Man, both being spirit, are therefore of the same substance, but vastly differentiated. Man being the Creature, leaves the primacy to the ABSOLUTE or Creator.  Absolute and Man, both Spirit.

What, then, is the differentiation?

—The ABSOLUTE is the essence of all potentialities in the Cosmic Root Substance. Man is the individualized, self-conscious, differentiated Spirit at the other extreme of the long line of Spiritual Hierarchies, Angelic Hosts, Logoi, Gods of Solar Systems, and the Lesser Spiritual Powers which intervene.  Absolute, an Essence.

—Man is thus Divinity incarnated in Humanity.”  Divinity and Humanity.

(c. 1922, by Plummer George Winslow)