The Higher and Divine Genius

In the Adeptus Minor ritual of the R.R. et A.C., the Second Order following the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, once inside the vault the candidate is led to the head of the Pastos, the symbolic sarcophagus of Christian Rosenkreutz. When the lid of the Pastos is eventually removed to reveal the hidden figure of the Chief Adept (the initiator) inside, the candidate symbolically becomes illuminated by an influx of consciousness coming from the Higher Self. The new adept thus begins to enter into an entirely new and fully conscious relationship with this Higher Self (as symbolized in the following diagram).