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The Cup is the vessel filled with the knowledge of the Magician,
which is ever being filled and emptied. This may at first seem
to be a contradiction. Why empty the understanding, only to
refill the mind? The solution is evolution. Every consumption is
a transformation, and this process continues until the
perception of absolute truth is attained.
[For example: a boy is told, from a reliable source,
that the world is really big. Looking in every direction, the
reasoning becomes an understanding – the world is really big.
The boy becomes a young man and is told the world has a
circumference of 25,000 miles. Having walked a mile many times,
the reasoning becomes an understanding that the world is not
only really big, but also bigger than was first assumed. The
young man ages and has the opportunity to travel around the
world, making a few stops along the way. Visually experiencing
the size of the world, the reasoning becomes an understanding
that the size of the world was not previously in perspective.]
The order of elemental weaponry construction correlates with the
evolution of the Student:
The Pantacle: The gathering of the raw
intellectual materials, properly prepared, and served to the
mind as the whole. This is dually defined as Intelligence |
Learning.
The Sword: The analytical faculty applied to
the raw materials defined in shape and form, and a
reconstitution of the pieces to examine the interconnected
virtues. This is simply defined as the Reasoning.
The Cup: The amalgamation of the raw materials
in such a way that the many components may be consumed, and the
result yielded is the same – yet further refined, leading to
continued health and growth. This is defined as
Understanding.
It is important to the Practicus to constantly fill the Cup and
consume the contents, and this is both a necessity (as discussed
above) and a celebration, which is made as a daily feast.
Therefore, the Cup is raised with the toast: “Bear up the Cup of
Libation!” If the contents are consumed with anything less, the
wine turns to vinegar, the Magician becomes a Scholar. The
applied science must ever be infused with the spirit, else any
perceived truth is but a reflection of the source. If the
building of the system becomes more important than its
fundamental purpose, the Practicus has lost his or her way. It
is at this critical junction that the work should be completely
abandoned and the Eucharist again consumed daily. Also, any
suitable physical practices are undertaken until such time as
equilibrium has been regained.
The ceremonial construction and consecration of the Cup is
formed and performed with whatever skill is currently possessed
by the Practicus, and following the instructions in Liber CDXII.
However, some suggested guidance is now included for
consideration, but may be disregarded in favor of other methods.
Let the practical construction be focused that suitable energies
from the Practicus, greatly affected by the state of mind, be
infused into the Cup.
Let the Temple be arranged that the Cup, although accompanied by
other tools, is the central focus.
Let the method of construction be reflected in the ceremony.
Every action necessary to complete the Cup is symbolically
represented.
Let a ‘Number to represent the Universe’ be devised or derived,
engraved upon the Cup, and this becoming the first drop of wine
poured into and drunk.
Let a method of charging be included in the ceremony, and let it
be compatible with the method used in the construction.
Let the ceremony be finished with the wrapping of the Cup in an
azure blue silk covering and placed within the Altar for three
days and nights, and let the thoughts of the Practicus
constantly wander back to the Cup, yet resisting the urge to
unwrap it until the three days have elapsed.
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