68
It is by the Understanding of the Magus
that his work
is purified.
Binah,
moreover,
is
the Moon, and
the
bowl
of this
cup
is
shaped
Hke the moon.
This moon
is the path of Gimel through
which
the influence
from the
Crown descends
upon
the Sun of Tiphereth.
And
this
is
based
upon
the pyramid
of
fire
which
symboHzes
the
aspiration
of the student.
In Hindu
symbohsm
the
Amrita or " dew of immortahty
" ^ drips
constantly
upon
a man, but is burnt
up by the gross fire of his appetites.
Yogis
attempt
to
catch
and
so preserve
this
dew by turning
back
the
tongue
in the mouth.
Concerning the water in this Cup,
it may be said that just as the wand
should
be perfectly
rigid,
the
ideal
solid,
so should
the water
be
the
ideal fluid.
The Wand is erect, and must extend to Infinity.
The surface of the water is flat, and must extend to Infinity.
One
is the line,
the other the plane.
But as the Wand is weak without
breadth,
so is the
water false with-
out depth.
The Understanding of the Magus
must
include all things,
and that understanding
must be infinitely profound.
^ A—, the privative
particle;
mrita,
mortal.