Book 4 (Part II)

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.