Water Cup

What the source describes

The Cup stands under Heh and the Cup of the Tarot in the four-weapon scheme. It is set beside the water on the altar, consecrated in a separate Water ceremony, and treated as one member of an interdependent group rather than as an isolated chalice. The eight-petalled bowl and its deliberately complementary colours are as important to the source's description as the vessel's ability to hold water.

Historical setting

This implement belongs to the Golden Dawn's initiatory and ceremonial system. That system reorganized earlier ritual objects into a coordinated elemental set; the resulting assignment should be dated to the order rather than projected backward into medieval grimoires.

Common uses

It is used for operations the manuscript classifies as watery, for tracing or supporting Water invocations, and for sprinkling water in the required direction. In the collective rite it also represents the watery lesser angle when the other elemental weapons are consecrated. The source directs that it be wrapped after consecration and handled only by its owner.

Form, materials and reconstruction

The manuscript permits any convenient clear glass cup, preferably with a bowl shaped like an eight-petalled crocus. A smooth bowl is acceptable, though eight cuts or ridges are preferred. Each petal is bright blue—neither pale nor dark—with a clear bright-orange edge chosen as the blue's exact complement to create the Golden Dawn's 'flashing' contrast. The divine and angelic names, sigils from the Rose, and motto are orange. The stem and foot may also be blue, though the text says this adds no particular advantage; it recommends paint over pasted paper because spilled water would damage paper.

Element: Water

The Golden Dawn consecration manuscript names this the Water implement in its four-weapon set. This assignment belongs to that set; it does not make every waterlike object in every grimoire equivalent.

Sources and variations

A Eucharistic chalice, a divining cup, and the Cup in Crowley's Book 4 each belong to different ritual arguments. Similar shape does not make them the same implement.

Primary account used here

Golden Dawn manuscripts, Manuscript G, 'The Four Elemental Weapons: The Cup for Water' and its consecration ↗

Further references

• Crowley, Book 4, Part II ↗A later ceremonial interpretation of the wand, cup, sword, pantacle and temple furniture.
• Book 4, Part II: 1913 first edition ↗Bibliographic record and page scan for checking Crowley's later illustrations and wording.