With thisbeautifully illustrated compendium, explore 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 Hitlers 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 detailto 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 secretsto pharaohs, statesmen, kings, and queens.In Renaissance Europe, two powerful womenCatherine of Medici and, later, Elizabeth I of Englandpatronized the most important magi of the time. John Deesobsidian mirror revealed the future of the nation to Elizabeth, while Nostradamus divulged spiritually inspired prophecies to Catherine at the Musee du Louvre in Paris.

Organized into three chaptersThe Art of Divination; Enchantments, Symbols, and Talismans; and In Search of Secret Knowledgethe books engaging and informative textbrings to light the secrets and intrigues that surround each mysterious objectand theobscure arts of the people who used them, highlightinghow to decode their signs and symbols.