Explore The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols with this beautifully illustrated compendium of 100 diverse arcane tools and writings said to hold the key to the mysteries of the universe. Symbols carry weight and significance. Over time they grow as different cultures attribute new meanings to old signs. Did you know that the swastika, widely known now to be the key symbol for Hitler's Nazi party, used to be a Buddhist symbol for success? From the Aztec Calendar Stone and the Spear of Destiny to magic circles and Navaho sand paintings, each relic, symbol, and depiction is presented and analyzed in detail to reveal the beliefs and practices of past civilizations from all around the globe.Philosophers, astrologers, prophets, poets, and artists from every age and culture have whispered secrets to pharaohs, statesmen, kings, and queens. In Renaissance Europe, two powerful women—Catherine of Medici and, later, Elizabeth I of England—patronized the most important magi of the time. John D