funny you should mention it because i have done it before and not noticed that i did it backwards or forwards really just that i did it... from which vantage point are you talking about?

Upside down? I don't. But the upside down cross I can explain, for example... On the back of the chair that the Pope sits in, it has a upside down cross on it, not because catholics are satanic :) but because the pope sits in the chair of the predacessor. The first pope was Peter (Jesus's deciple) and Peter was crucified for his beliefs, and when he was going up on the cross, he didn't want to be crucifed the same way as his Lord, so he did it upside down. hope that helps somewhat.

it's not upside down. you say in the name of the father when you touch your head, god is above.

I am not Catholic, but I DO recall that when I was younger, the lower point seemed a LOT lower than the sternum. I also thought the right/left were at the shoulders. Maybe I'm wrong there... Just my observations... But, if you insist on looking at it as backward/upside down, HOW, exactly? If you believe this, if you bow your head and look DOWN on it, wouldn't you be looking at the top of the cross? You can make a case any which way you like, but the fact is the stations (should that be capitalized?) have been done for years and years and years. SURELY, if it WERE backward, SOMEONE would have noticed by now?

+ Sign of the Cross + I open my hand and touch my brow, and say, "In the name of the Father" Then I touch my heart with my hand, and say, "and of the Son." I touch my shoulders left and right, and say, "and of the Holy Spirit" I say, "Amen." The Sign of the Cross is + A statement of belief in the Holy Trinity + A statement of belief in and thanksgiving for Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross + God blessing us + Us Blessing God ("I will bless the Lord at all times") + A prayer using your entire body + A Bible quote (Matthew 28:19) "At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign (of the cross). -- Tertullian, De Corona 211 C.E. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/tertullian04.html In addition to the Catholic Church, the Sign of the Cross is prayed by the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Anglican and Lutheran Churches. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13785a.htm https://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=3941 http://www.episcopalchurch.org/19625_15358_ENG_HTM.htm http://www.catholictradition.org/Classics/signum-crucis.htm http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/beginning/cross.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_Cross + The Cross of Saint Peter + By the way, an upside down cross is not a bad thing. The inverted cross was the symbol of St. Peter and the Popes long before Satanists tried unseccessfully to steal it. The origin of this symbol comes from belief that St. Peter was crucified upside down, as he felt he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner that Christ died (upright). An inverted cross has been the symbol of the Popes ever since. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_St._Peter + With love in Christ.

Some people touch way lower (mid tummy) fyi.

1) The idea why Christians use the sign of the cross is that "[by] tracing two lines intersecting at right angles they indicate symbolically the figure of Christ's cross". For this reason, the geometrical dimensions of such a cross is usually irrelevant. The only variante where it really draws the form of a Latin cross is when it is "made in the air by bishops, priests, and others in blessing persons or material objects". Neither the cross made on one own's body nor the little cross have the form of a Latin cross. The little cross is "generally made with the thumb, which the priest or deacon traces for example upon the book of the Gospels and then upon his own forehead, lips, and breast at Mass, as also that made upon the lips in the "Domine labia mea aperies" of the Office, or again upon the forehead of the infant in Baptism, and upon the various organs of sense in Extreme Unction, etc." Source and further information: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13785a.htm 2) More that just tracing those two lines, the sign of the cross traced on one's own body uses also some symbolic points of the body: "The sign of the Cross is made by touching the hand sequentially to the forehead, sternum, and both shoulders, accompanied by the Trinitarian formula: at the forehead: In the name of the Father (or In nomine Patris in Latin); at the stomach or heart: and of the Son (et Filii); across the shoulders from left to right: and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost (et Spiritus Sancti); and finally: Amen. There are several interpretations, according to Church Fathers: the forehead symbolizes Heaven; the stomach, the earth; the shoulders, the place and sign of power. Also, the hand to the forehead may be seen as a prayer to the Father for wisdom; the hand to the stomach as a prayer to the Son who became incarnate; and the hand to the shoulders as a prayer to the Holy Spirit." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_Cross 3) the inverted cross has different meanings for different people: "Peter is believed to have been crucified upside down at his own request, as he did not feel worthy to die the same way as Jesus. Therefore many Christian sects use this cross as a symbol of humility. He was an early missionary in Asia Minor and the Roman Empire and founded the Church of Rome with Paul, Emperor Nero saw this new church as a threat, and began a campaign to eradicate these troublemakers. Peter was imprisoned, tortured and finally crucified. Such was his faith, it is believed, he remarkably succeeded in persuading his sadistic captors to change from the normal way of executing prisoners. His brother, Andrew, also was crucified, and he too requested that a cross different to Christ's Latin Cross be used. Therefore we have another cross form, the 'X' shaped St. Andrew's Cross. In 1920, Archbishop Joachim of Nizhny Novgorod was also crucified upside down, on the Royal Doors of the Cathedral in Sevastopol, a Black Sea port of southern Ukraine." "Sometimes this cross is called Satan's Cross because it points downward to Hell. But this is a misnomer; Satan was never crucified on a cross, rather he fell to his death. This inverted cross is sometimes used by Satanists to mock the Latin Cross and its meaning. (In any case, Hell isn't physically 'down' any more than Heaven is 'up'.) For some, the upside down cross is a Pagan image because it resembles the Icelandic and Nordic hammer of Thor. (St. Peter is also often remembered through the Celtic Cross.)" Source and further information: http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/peter.html "The inverted cross was not invented or first used by Satanists. It is the cross that St Peter was crucified on because he didn't feel himself worthy to be crucified on the same form of cross as his "messiah", Jesus Christ, was. It was a symbol for unworthiness and deep respect of ones superiors: representing folly, hardship, failure and reverence for Christ. That's what it used to mean. Since the advent of the B-Movie and limited public intelligence the inverted cross became a reversed Christian symbol - a symbol of Anti-Christian sentiment. Let us not forget that The Cross is just a symbol, used and misused over the millennium for a multitude of reasons. The Baphomet is the official symbol of the Church Of Satan, but many Satanists use the inverted cross to symbolize their dislike of Christianity. Its modern meaning has came to mean "anti-Christian" and it is used and recognized as such in today's world, but not in history." Source and further information: http://www.dpjs.co.uk/misc.html The important point here is that the inverted cross has become an anti-Christian symbol in the modern times, but has *also* still kept its traditional, Christian meaning. "As stated, in Roman Catholicism the Petrine Cross is not seen as Satanic in any way. However, an inverted crucifix (a Latin cross with an artistic depiction of the crucified body of Christ upon it) is seen as immensely disrespectful, and could be used to represent Satanic forces. The distinction between a Cross of Peter and upturned Crucifix is sometimes obscured, leading to confusion about the acceptability of each symbol." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_St._Peter Further information: - "Meaning of an upside down crucifix?": http://www.catholic-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2693 4) Of the multiple different forms of the cross symbol, many are or were also used by Christians, such as: - Original Coptic Cross - High cross (Celtic) - Coptic Cross - Canterbury cross - Greek cross (+) - St. Nino's Cross - Saint Andrew's Cross (X) - St George's Cross - Saint Anthony's Cross (T) Further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross 5) Because of the modern strong association of the inverted cross symbol with anti-Christianism or Satanism, some people have in recent time brought the idea that the use of this symbol is a "proof" of anti-Christianism. Here some of those theories: "If the Roman Catholic "sign of the cross" were a Christian cross, you would have to make it thusly... Place your hand on your forehead... now place it on your groin, now on your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder. That is NOT what the Roman Catholic church demands. They are actually having their congregation make the sign of BAAL on their bodies and NOT a cross that depicts the cross Christ was crucified on. Notice the shocking revelation in the following pic that most are totally unaware of. Here you can actually see that the main area of the cross the Roman Church would have their followers use resembles that of Baal's cross. The cross of Baal is more like the "plus sign" on your keyboard than a cross Rome used to kill people with. The arms of the cross of Baal equal in length to the vertical staff of the cross. However, in the Roman Catholic "sign of the cross" an interesting revelation comes to light. Not only do the arms equal in length to the staff, but you can also see that the horizontal portion of the cross is inverted somewhat, thus making the Roman Catholic sign of the cross more likely the inverted cross of the church of Satan. You can see this verified as their true reason for the "sign of the cross" in the following pic of Pope John Paul at a mass in Jerusalem back in the year 2000... In essence, every Catholic that makes this "sign of the cross" is showing their allegiance to Satan and Baal at the same time. Fact is, Baal is just another name for Satan. Without going into the other fourteen points for the Rosary, one can see that right off the bat, the Rosary is an evil ritual designed by Satan himself. " Source and further information: http://www.remnantofgod.org/rosary.htm "We are to put together the first three fingers of the right hand, which symbolizes the Unity of the Holy Inseparable Trinity. The other two fingers should be bent towards the palm signifying the descent of the Son of God to earth from Heaven (two fingers being the image of two natures of Christ). The fingers put together first touch the forehead ??? to sanctify the mind, then ??? the belly near the solar plexus ??? for sanctification of feelings, then to the right and finally to the left shoulder ??? to sanctify one???s bodily strength. We bow only after the hand is dropped along the body. Why? Because we have just shown the Calvary Cross on ourselves and we bow to it. Incidentally, there is one more widespread mistake: a bow performed simultaneously with the sign of the Cross. We should not do that (break the Cross). In many old textbooks on the law of God the lower end of the sign of the Cross is mistakenly proposed to be made at the level of the breast. In that case the Cross appears as if it is upside down (the lower part is shorter) and involuntarily it turns into a cross of the Satanists." Source and further information: http://www.saintdemetriosbristol.org/?q=sign-cross