The Crater, or the cup, has in it thirteen stars of ordinary magnitude and about ninety small stars, though some books of astronomy say three brilliant stars and ninety small. This cup forms really part of the body of the Hydra, for the stars at the foot of the cup form part of the body of the Serpent , and both constellations claim them. It is the cup that every human being has to drink, full of that which he has distilled out of his experience in matter. It is the cup of obligation certain of the ancient Masonic rituals, and symbolizes the drinking of that which we have ourselves brewed. The Old Testament started with a raven, the New Testament starts with a dove.
Experience starts with the bird of matter and ends with the bird of spirit.
It is interesting to note that in Aquarius, the consummating sign to Leo, we find Cygnus, the swan, the symbol of the bird of spirit. In the zodiac of Denderah, Leo and the three attendant constellations are pictured as forming one great sign, for the lion is seen treading on the serpent. The cup is the cup which is offered to the initiate, to which Christ referred in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he pleaded that the cup be taken away from him, but which he ended by drinking. So Hercules, the aspirant, expressing himself in Leo, visions the great battle that lies ahead of him, knows that his past must work out to fulfilment in the future, knows that before he can climb the mountain in Capricorn he must slay the Hydra, and knows that he must no longer be the raven, but must manifest as Aquila , the eagle of Scorpio, and as Cygnus, the swan, in Aquarius. 1998 Netnews Association.