The W on the Ace of Cups

IsisSophia

Hi all,

Does anyone here know what the W on the RWS Cup Ace means? Someone suggested it was either "water" for the element Cups, or the first letter of Waite's name. I'm wondering if it doesn't signify something more than that, so I thought I'd ask some of you historians.

Thanks,

~IS~
 

tarotcardrose

I had an interesting take. And....many people may jump on this .....it is Just a theory. Arthur Waite re-designed these cards, to hold the Secret Doctrine or Divine Truth, as he himself wrote. He was Catholic, and then became a Mason. The Mason's are believed to protect the Secret of the Holy Grail and Knights of Templar. The 4 of swords has the knight above their tombs, like the templar were buried. The Ace of Cups reversed would be an M, possibly an initial for Mary Magdalene. The Holy Grail. Why upside down? To the un-initiated you would assume W for Waite. But reversed, the Grail upside down (birth) , the birth of the Holy Blood LIne.
 

Starshower

Wow. Fascinating. Have you any references for this idea, please?
 

Abrac

It's an M for sure. I did a side-by-side comparison that shows how it couldn't be a W. Clearly an intential misdirection, but what it means I don't know. I agree that it's probably a clue to a hidden meaning or doctrine. :)
 

Debra

Brilliant, Abrac!

Yikes, Mary Magdalene.
 

DrDave

Frank Hall

Frank Hall wrote this sometime back
Just as everycard has duality perhaps this image M and W
or Triplicity M ,W and E {energy)

Do not forget that Waite was an expert on the Grail legends, and he wrote The Hidden Church Of The Holy Grail in 1909.

In that book, he has a chapter on "The Parsifal of Wolfram von Eschenbach," the most esoteric and heterodox version of the story, popular in central Europe in the early 1200's.
In that chapter he refers to Wolfram's name for the Grail castle-- "Mont Salvage."
So, the Grail is kept hidden away in the castle of "Mont Salvage."

To my sight, the Grail in the Ace of Cups is an upside -down "M" as found in the same typeface in Waite's book on Grail history.

It could stand for "Mystery," another favorite capitalized keyword in Waite's book, along with "Mont Salvage," the Grail castle.) ) Maybe coincidental, maybe not.

But let's include where the Grail is hidden away, "Mont Salvage", as at least a possibility in the list. That is where the Grail heals.

From the earth below, the Grail shows a distinct "W."
But from the dove's heavenward view, the Grail shows an "M."

Thus, we may be seeing two complementary letters here. From the earth we have the "Word" beyond the world, while from heaven we have the castle to which the bird descends, "Mont Salvage." --
In the Wolfram story, the dove descends from heaven with a wafer, empowering the Grail in the castle with it. So the life-waters outpour to the world below. Maybe the letter is double?

Or triple!
Dr Dave


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Abrac

A lot of good ideas being put out there. :) I'm particularly interested in what Frank said about "Mystery" being capitalized in Waite's book.

Of this card Waite writes in The Pictorial Key, "It is an intimation of that which may lie behind the Lesser Arcana." In saying this he's referring to something which is "behind" or hidden.

To add another layer I would suggest M may also represent (coincidentally or otherwise) the Hebrew letter מ Mem which corresponds to water (mayim).
 

Ross G Caldwell

This thread discusses it a little -
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=43769

I wrote about the dove that is integrated into the stem of the cup (post #25), pointing out this page -
http://www.angelfire.com/space/tarot/rwacups.html
stembig.jpg

stemdove.jpg

topdove2.jpg


Abrac's image shows it very clearly, and the strange "v" in the wafer/host might be the middle part of a "w".

I note also now that the stem dove appears to have an "M" on its body (drawn more thickly than the other lines)

As above, so below. I think the main "M" is supposed to have a double meaning, as "W" and "M" (Water, Word, Waite, and Mary, Mystery, Mont Salvat, etc. (I don't buy Magdalen, but I don't know much about Waite's ideas).

(edited - sorry, I thought images were allowed here)
 

re-pete-a

In the beginning was the WORD.

in the end (rev) is Mortis

The beginning and the end are the same starting points.

The water is essential to life, the end is essential to beginnings. A flow.

M is the thirteenth letter in the alphabet.

W is the 23rd.
Hermetically speaking from the union of two is three
1, 2, 3, are special numbers

No love no life ,no life no love.
 

kez

Hi,

I can weigh in on this if you want as to what I see as the meaning of the M is on the cup.. after reading alot of post on the AT form I can now see that I am not the norm and this just might not the be the place for me..

kez