OUR PRIMARY SACRED SYMBOL
The Centered Cross is the foundational image of the Unitive Way. More than a religious emblem, it is a sacred diagram of human being and becoming—a cruciform anthropology that maps the soul’s unfolding along intersecting lines of eros and ethics, transcendence and immanence.
But what does it look like? And how should it be depicted?
The Centered Cross has a simple geometry, but its precision matters. At its core, it consists of four beams of equal width that meet at a central crossing point. Each beam ends with a pointed tip or arrowhead, symbolizing the flow of divine energy in all directions: upward and downward, inward and outward.
The most common rendering uses a Greek Cross form, with all four arms of equal length—like a plus sign. This expresses balance and unity. However, it is also acceptable to depict it in a traditional Western shape, with a longer downward-pointing beam, which emphasizes rootedness and descent. The shape with the longer beam at bottom is also meant to evoke the shape of a human body. Both forms honor the symbol’s essence.
Color is flexible, but we especially favor a gold cross on a black background (representing light shining from the void), or a black cross on a light field (evoking grounded mystery and form).
If you’re an artist, designer, or follower of this path, we invite you to use this guidance in any faithful visual representation. This Cross is more than metaphor—it is sacred geometry. A map of wholeness. A call to live, not above the world, but deeply within it, arms open.
Draw it carefully. Carry it inwardly.
The Centered Cross isn’t only a symbol.
It’s the shape of love itself.
