Ace of Cups

Abrac said:

The maxim which might be written over the temples of the official churches is 'Corporis Mysterium'--that the mystery of the body might lead them more fully into the higher mystery of the soul.

And in fine the maxim which might and would be inscribed over the one Temple of the truly Catholic Religion when the faiths of this western world have been united in the higher consciousness--that is assuredly 'Mysterium Fidei'--the mystery which endures for ever and for ever passes into experience."

Given Waite's position concerning Alchemy, might "M" stand for Mercurio?

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Abrac - great material. Thank you. I've always made the point that the M stands for Mystery - Mysterium. Mercurio just doesn't seem to fit on the Grail cup but Mysterium serves both the Grail and alchemy.

Mystery is sometimes considered the lost word of Freemasonry: Hic est enim caix sanguinis mei, novi et aeterni testamenti: mysterium fidei, qui pro vobis et pro multis effendetur in remissionum peccatorum. ("For this is the chalice of my blood, of the new and eternal testament: the mystery of faith, which for you and for many shall be shad(?) unto the remission of sins."

It could also stand for Mem (water) and the first letter of the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mari = bitter sea or ocean).

ADDED: Abrac, I just saw that you mention Mystery in the preceeding post. Yes, definitely!

Concerning the five streams:

In Christianity there are the five glorious mysteries of which the descent of the Dove is one: the resurrection (virtue of faith), the ascension (virtue of hope), the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (devotion to Mary), the descent of the Holy Spirit (love of God), and the crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary (eternal happiness).

There are the five senses which are very important symbolically in Freemasonry.

The five streams of blood from Christ are felt to represent the five senses.

For a different perspective, that doesn't appear elsewhere in Waite, there's the story of Cormac in "The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries" by W. Evans-Wentz. Cormac enters the Otherworld and comes to a fountain (the "Well of Knowledge") with five streams coming out of it, and the five streams are the five senses from which knowledge is obtained. And no one will have knowledge who drinketh not a draught out of the fountain itself and out of the streams."

I think the "W", is for Water...and when viewed from the position of the Hanged Man (who is mem, water) it is Mem...hebrew water/ocean/Mara/Mary the holy feminine.

(It's probably also "Waite", LOL)

Is it important to the symbolism of the card to incorporate the letter M to tell folks that the secret of the Holy Grail is a great mystery? Is the fact that there is a precedent for incorporating a letter into the Ace of Cups (namely, the Hebrew letter ה, standing for the Supernal Mother) of no consequence?

All of the plays on the letters W and M could very well be part of Waite's play, but he still had a central intention that is at the heart of all his work - Mystery. The letter is clearly meant to be an M, although both Water and Mem and Mother, as well as 'Waite' could be part of it.

Mallah said:

I think the "W", is for Water...and when viewed from the position of the Hanged Man (who is mem, water) it is Mem...hebrew water/ocean/Mara/Mary the holy feminine.

(It's probably also "Waite", LOL)

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Interesting. However, PCS doesn't make the letter W that way. Check out her calligraphy for WHEEL OF FORTUNE and THE HERMIT. It's clearly an inverted M, is it not?

And if you look at the most common versions of the Ace of Cups in the TdM, you will see this "inverted M" in the forms of the upper towers! Water spills forth...

And I think that TdM card is a hex...which is perhaps a refrence to the Lovers? Divine love, perhaps?

I think it is an inverted M, as Mem. Going back to my lily pads theory, the Hanged Man is the 12th card, very fitting. The value of the Greek letter Mu is forty, like Mem. It could also be a stylized lowercase Omega, symbolizing Binah (although I admit that that would be stretching it).

closrapexa said:

I think it is an inverted M, as Mem. Going back to my lily pads theory, the Hanged Man is the 12th card, very fitting. The value of the Greek letter Mu is forty, like Mem. It could also be a stylized lowercase Omega, symbolizing Binah (although I admit that that would be stretching it).

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Of course, in that case he actually could have used מ without revealing any GD secrets, but it wouldn't have been as effective as an upside down M. It is interesting that the streams of water on Robert Wang's Ace of Cups suggest an inverted ω, or perhaps a goofy looking M.

Inverted W's, M's, Cups

Cups are related to SERVICE... "Who does the Grail SERVE?" Those in ministry, counsel, service related careers/functions know what it is to be poured out for another. The function of the cup, yes, is partly to be upright, and be filled, but in order to be emptied, it must be upended. This is one of the bittersweet realities of the heart, no?

Here's another little thing...the Waite Ace of Cups shows us three (four, really, but one is on the back where we can't see it,) tiny little bells. Bells are inverted cups.

In music, there are four families of instruments:

Wind (these would correspond with Air/Swords)
Membranopones (Drums, corresponding with Earth)
String (Fire/Wands)
Idiophones (all percussion instruments that do not make thier sound with a membrane. Bells would be the perfect example of these...Cups/Water....we think of bells in their "ministry" function --church bells, ceremonial bells)

The "W" form is echoed in the wings of the Dove above (i.e. coming down 'I saw the spirit descending in the form of a dove') ...there is visual harmony (an eye rhyme) there. The "M" form, is echoed if you look very carefully at the middle bell, by wings ascending, going UP.

I think Waite is telling up that both the upright and the reversed forms are part of the function of the cup and the symbol. It is meant to hold water, it is meant to be poured out in service. The heart is meant to be full, is meant to be emptied.

In the Druidic analogy of the 3 cauldrons, we are born with the heart cauldron emptied out, on it's side, scanning for love like a radar dish...it is life life events of deep pain, sorrow, and love (the bittersweet) that we FEEL in the heart, and we feel these so strongly because these events cause the middle cauldron to start to upright itself. It is these events that set us right, for when the cauldron is upright it can fill with the AWEN, inspiration or lifeforce/chi from on high. So it is thru sufferings that we are perfected, giving meaning to our losses.

The M/W has to go both ways...a little "crazy wisdom" from the perspective of the hanged man.