Mem is water, attributed to elemental Water and The Hanged Man.
Yod is the hand, attributed to Virgo and The Hermit.
As the path of Nun involves a dissolution of those elements of the outer persona which obscure the Light of Tiphareth, the path of Mem involves the dissolution of the individual ego in the waters of the absolute. The Adeptus Minor in Tiphareth learns to surrender to the higher, entering into a species of Samadhi or mystical union. (Note that this is true for the Adeptus Minor in the A.:A.:, which takes place in Briah, whereas the grade of Adeptus Minor in the Golden Dawn takes place in Yetzirah, corresponding roughly with the 2=9 level in the A.:A.:). The adept on the path of Mem must learn to surrender to the state of mystical union again and again, with regularity and under will. This state is known in the A.:A.: as Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.
It is not enough on this path to merely undergo the dissolution of the ego on a regular basis. The aspiring Adeptus Major must at length learn to extract something from the dissolute. There is an immortal flame found within the depths of the Great Waters which is not subject to dissolution, since it is itself the essence of those waters. This is the fire of True Will, the transcendent Word of the adept which determines every possible manifestation of their Yechidah.
True Will is the ultimate expression of the universal through the individual, and thus expresses the perfect harmony between them. The expression of the Will, unhampered by attachment or aversion, kindles a flame upon the face of the world that transforms all that beholds it.
The water of Mem is an extension of the watery nature of Hod, the origin of the path. These are the waters of universal mind, aptly represented by Hod in Briah. The fire of the Yod set between (or within) the waters signifies the fiery Sephira Geburah to which the path leads. Geburah is a path both of action and restraint. The Adeptus Major must bring the whole of their outer nature into strict conformity with the Word which is recovered from the infinite waters. The Yod appears between the two Mems as if hidden, which in a sense it is. The adept is at first overwhelmed by the dissolution of the ego in Samadhi. The prospect of recovering anything from that experience seems beyond comprehension. It is only after the adept has assimilated themselves to the greater Light that the Seed of that Light can be extracted therefrom.
The paths of Nun and Mem reflect each other. Each features, in their spelling, a flame within the depths of the waters. On the path of Nun, the flame is that of a torch planted firmly in the earth (this is suggested by the shape of the letter Vau), for the aspirant at this level is still bound to the outer world. The Vau in this case is the nail that keeps them rooted in the ego as elements of that ego are dissolved in the waters of death. On the path of Mem, the flame is naked and unbound. It is in fact rooted in the higher rather than the lower. It is part of the work of the adept to tie that Word to the outer world, in accordance with the nature of their Will.
The fire of Yod is a secret fire, a hidden force. None can ever truly comprehend the Will of another, nor can one every truly know (speaking in the Biblical sense) another's Angel. Though a hidden fire, True Will is aptly symbolized by the lamp of the Hermit. It is a beacon of Light, illuminating the way for all toward knowledge of their own True Will.
The letters Mem Yod Mem add to 90, which is also the value of the letter Tzaddi, the fish-hook, as well as domem, 'silent'.
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