Grail cup
Symbolic significance
April 22nd 2011
Numerous legends surround the grail cup. One tradition recounts that it was carved from the emerald that fell from Lucifer’s forehead when he was thrown into the abyss after rebelling against God. Jesus is said to have used this chalice on the evening of the Last Supper and Joseph of Arimathea to have collected a few drops of Jesus’ blood in it. Joseph of Arimathea is also said to have handed the chalice down to his son, after which all trace of it was lost. Many have searched for it and are perhaps still searching, but in vain.
Whatever the origin of the grail cup and its adventures, the main thing is to understand its symbolic meaning. The chalice represents the feminine principle. It is carved from emerald, and green is the colour of Venus. This chalice is the receptacle that collects and protects the masculine principle, the spirit, represented here by the blood, which is red, the colour of Mars. The grail cup is therefore the ideal image for the body of all human beings who have worked on their own matter and purified it, made it unalterable, incorruptible, worthy of collecting the most precious of quintessences – the blood of Christ, the spirit.