Mind, body, spirit.

Contains definitions and interpretations of over 1,600 signs and symbols and discusses the cross-cultural, sociological, and psychological uses, meaning, and development of signs and symbols as a whole.

This informative and engaging illustrated reference provides the stories behind 1,001 signs and symbols, from ancient hieroglyphs to modern-day political and subculture symbols. What in the world does Ω mean? And what about its meaning might have led my coffee date to tattoo it on his entire forearm? Where did the symbol ∞ originate, and what was its first meaning? How did the ampersand symbol & come about and how was it applied daily in book publishing? And what is the full story behind that staring eye on top of the pyramid on our American dollar bill? This comprehensive guide to signs and symbols explains. Find within: More than 1,000 illustrations An extensive collection of written and cultural symbols, including animals, instruments, stones, shapes, numbers, colors, plants, food, parts of the body, religious and astrological symbols, emojis, and gestures Historical facts culled from a wide variety of sources Learn all about the signs and symbols that surround us and their part in our rich world history.

Unlock the lost and hidden meanings of the world's ancient and modern signs and symbols with the latest in the hugely popular series of 'Element Encyclopedias'. This is the biggest A-Z reference book on symbolic objects you'll ever find.

The visual vocabulary and secret language that shape our thoughts and dreams and dictate our reactions to the world, with more than 2200 vivid images Many symbols carry an elemental power that transcends boundaries and holds significance for other cultures. This comprehensive and beautiful book discusses and illustrates thousands of these symbols and assesses their position in language, art, literature, mythology, magic, religion and psychology. In the second half of the book, how we dream and how we interpret dreams is analysed as a way of accessing our subconscious fears, desires and preoccupations. The erudite text provides a wealth of cultural background to primal metaphors that are part of mankind's universal language. The book is both a journey of discovery into the importance of symbolism and dreaming and a vast visual resource of signs and symbols.

Signs and symbols are integral to the world in which we live: from letters and words on a page to the constellations in the night sky; from the image of a god to the secret gargoyles on a cathedral roof; from the meaningful winking of an eye to an elabor

In nearly 1500 entries, many of them strikingly and often surprisingly illustrated, J. C. Cooper has documented the history and evolution of symbols from prehistory to our own day. With over 200 illustrations and lively, informative and often ironic texts, she discusses and explains an enormous variety of symbols extending from the Arctic to Dahomey, from the Iroquois to Oceana, and coming from systems as diverse as Tao, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Tantra, the cult of Cybele and the Great Goddess, the Pre-Columbian religions of the Western Hemisphere and the Voodoo cults of Brazil and West Africa.

An alphabetical reference with more than 1,500 entries that trace symbols to their cultural, religious, or mythological origins, and explain the hidden or encoded meaning that lies concealed beneath objects' and concepts' ordinary, outward appearance.

"From cave paintings in Africa, Asia and Oceania, to the emergence of sophisticated graphic styles in Europe at the turn of the century, these images stimulate curiosity and wonder at the enormous breadth of human creativity."--BOOK JACKET.

This wide-ranging compendium traces symbolism to its ancient roots, examining a vast variety of symbolic images.