The grimoire of symbols
Decoding esoteric symbols
From ancient signs to contemporary emblems, explore their history, forms and meanings across different traditions.
Three ways to read
How do you read a symbol?
The same image can mean different things across times, places and uses. Each entry puts those readings in context.
Examine its form
Look at its lines, objects and variants. Similar shapes do not prove a shared origin.
Find its context
Distinguish documented historical sources from later occult or contemporary reinterpretations.
Understand its uses
Explore attributed practices and meanings without treating them as universal or fixed.
An A–Z directory
Which symbol would you like to understand?
Browse entries by family, name or letter. The directory grows as our research continues.
Alphabetical index
Que signifie l’omphalos de Delphes ?
Que signifie la chouette d’Athéna ?
Que signifie le gorgoneion, la tête de Méduse ?
Que signifie la corne d’abondance ?
Que signifie le bâton d’Asclépios ?
Que signifie la croix de Lorraine ?
Que signifie la croix de Jérusalem ?
Que signifie la croix de Malte ?
Que signifie le staurogramme ?
Que signifie la croix Tau ?
Que signifie le pélican dans l’art chrétien ?
Que signifie l’Agnus Dei, l’Agneau de Dieu ?
Que signifie l’ancre chrétienne ?
Que signifie le labrys, la double hache minoenne ?
Que signifie l’étoile à huit pointes d’Ishtar ?
Que signifie le Sigillum Dei Aemeth de John Dee ?
Que signifie Yggdrasil, l’Arbre du Monde ?
Que signifie la fleur de lys ?
Que signifie la croix celtique ?
Que signifie la couronne de laurier ?
What does the knot of Isis, or Tyet, mean?
What does the Djed pillar mean?
What does the Egyptian scarab mean?
What does the Nazar, or blue eye, mean?
What does the Hamsa, or Hand of Fatima, mean?
What does the Ægishjálmur, or Helm of Terror, mean?
What does Mjölnir, Thor's hammer, mean?
What does the labyrinth mean?
What does the Eye of Providence mean?
What do Alpha and Omega mean?
What does the mandorla, or Vesica Piscis, mean?
What does the Ichthys, the Christian fish, mean?
What does the lotus mean?
What does the endless knot mean?
What does the Wheel of Dharma mean?
What does the triskel or triskelion mean?
What does Om or Aum mean?
What do the crescent and star mean?
What does the Tetragrammaton YHWH mean?
What do the Masonic square and compass symbolize?
What does the Khanda, the symbol of Sikhism, mean?
What does the Menorah mean?
What does the Faravahar mean?
What do the Bagua, the eight trigrams, mean?
What does the Shankha conch mean?
What does the Phoenix mean?
What does the Rebis mean in alchemy?
What does the Rose Cross mean?
What does the Sacred Heart mean?
What does the IHS monogram mean?
What does the swastika, or manji, mean?
What does the Egyptian winged solar disk mean?
What does the Was scepter mean?
What does the Shen ring mean?
What does the Uraeus, the Egyptian royal cobra, mean?
What does the Vegvísir mean?
What does the valknut mean?
What does the triquetra mean?
What does Pluto’s symbol mean in astrology?
What does the Neptune symbol mean in astrology?
What does the Uranus symbol mean in astrology?
What does Saturn’s symbol mean in astrology?
What does the symbol of Jupiter mean in astrology?
What does the Mars symbol mean in astrology?
What does the Venus symbol mean in astrology?
What does the Mercury symbol mean in astrology?
What does the Moon symbol mean in astrology?
What does the Sun symbol mean in astrology?
What does the Trishula, Shiva's trident, mean?
What does Vajra or Dorje mean?
What does the Chi-Rho mean?
What does the Tree of the Sephiroth mean?
What does John Dee's Hieroglyphic Monad mean?
What does Yin-Yang mean?
What does the Sri Yantra mean?
What does the Eye of Horus, or wedjat eye, mean?
What does the ankh mean?
What does the ouroboros mean?
What does the hexagram mean, and why is it called the Seal of Solomon?
What does the pentacle mean?
What does the pentagram mean?
What is the symbol of the philosopher's stone?
What does the alchemical symbol for earth mean?
What does the alchemical symbol for air mean?
What does the alchemical symbol for water mean?
What does the alchemical symbol for fire mean?
What does the alchemical symbol for Mercury mean?
What does the alchemical symbol for salt mean?
What does the alchemical symbol for sulfur mean?
What does the caduceus mean?
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