Symbols and Significations

"No one but you know - really knows - what symbols mean to you. They are a very personal thing, dredged up from your subconscious mind, and other's interpretations can be quite wrong."
     - Earth Power by Scott Cunningham (some of sybmbolic listing below from the same book)

To find what the symbol really means to you, look at the symbol, what first comes to mind? Look only at the qualities associated with your question, or if you didn't ask a question apply the symbol's meaning to your life.

Below are some traditional / suggested meanings of symbols, if you disagree with the meaning, disregard it and go with what it means to you...

Abbey: future ease and freedom from worry
Acorn: Men, youth, improvement in health, continued health and strength
Airplane: Travel, new projects
Anchor: Voyage, rest, a lucky sign, Success in business and love
Angel: good news, especially good fortune in love
Apes: secret enemies
Apples: long life, gain by commerce
Apple Tree: change for the better arch, a journey abroad
Arrow: a disagreeable letter from the arrow's direction, misfortune overcome by patience; or a legacy axe, difficulties overcome, news

Badger: long life and prosperity as a bachelor
Basket: Gift, an addition to the family
Baby: New interests
Bat: fruitless journeys or tasks
Bear: a long period of travel
Beasts: other then those mentioned, foretell misfortune
Bees, honey comb, hive: Industry, frugalness, hard work
Bell: Celebrations, marriage (Bells ring in the new but also ring out the old. The bell may be tolling hard times as well.)
Bird: Psychic powers, movement, motion, good luck, a lucky sign; good news if flying, a fortunate journey
Boat: Discoveries, a friend will visit
Book: Wisdom
Bouquet: one of the luckiest of symbols, a happy marriage
Bridge: a favorable journey
Broom: Cleanliness, feminity, domesticity, purification, healing, warfare with negativity
Building: a removal
Bull: slander by an enemy
Bush: an invitation into society
Butterfly: Frivolous things, non-essentials, success and pleasure

Cage, prison bars: restriction, isolation, solitude
Camel: a burden to be patiently borne
Cannon: good fortune
Car: approaching wealth, visits from friends
Cart: fluctuations of fortune
Castle: unexpected fortune or legacy
Cat: Wisdom, intellectualism, aloofness, difficulties caused by treachery
Cathedral: great prosperity
Cattle: prosperity
Cauldron: Transformation, great change, women, new beginnings, endings
Chain: an early marriage; if broken, trouble in store
Chair: an addition to the family
Church: a legacy
Circles: money or presents
Clock: Death, time in any manifestation, change
Clouds: Headaches, mental problems, the mind, thoughts, a serious trouble; if surrounded by dots financial success
Clover: a very lucky sign; happiness and prosperity
Coffin: Surprise its not death! A long and boring but not serious illness
Comet: misfortune and trouble
Compass: a sign of traveling as a profession
Cow: Money or a prosperous sign
Cradle: Strangers
Crescent: Freshness, newness, mother, women
Cornucopia: Fertility, protection, prosperity, animals, containment
Cross: The forces of nature, the elements, great energies at work, a sign of trouble, delay or even death
Crown: Success and honor
Crown and Cross: good fortune resulting from death

Dagger: favors from friends
Deer: quarrels, disputes; failure in trade
Distaff: Creativity, change, sexuality, transformation
Dog: Love, fidelity, faithful friends
Donkey: a legacy long awaited
Dove: a lucky symbol; progress in prosperity and affection
Dragon: a great and sudden change
Duck: Wealth, plenty

Eagle: honour and riches through change of residence
Egg: Increase, fertility, luck
Elephant: a lucky sign; good health
Eye: Introspection, inspection, evaluation

Falcon: a persistent enemy
Ferret: active enemies
Fish: Sexuality, riches, lucky speculation, good news from abroad; surrounded by dots, Immigration
Flag: danger from wounds inflicted by an enemy
Flame, fire: Purification, change, the will, domination, driving forces
Flower: good fortune, success, happy marriage
Fox: treachery by a trusted friend
Frog: success in love and commerce

Gallows: a sign of good luck
Glove: Luck, protection
Goat: a sign of enemies, and misfortune to a sailor
Goose: happiness; a successful venture
Grasshopper: a great friend will become a soldier
Greyhound: good fortune by strenuous exertion
Gun, pistol, rifle: Discord, disaster, slander

Hammer: triumph over adversity
Hare: a sign of long journey or return of absent friend
Harp: marriage, success in love
Hat: Rival, honors, success in life
Hawk: an enemy
Heart: Love, pleasures to come
Heavenly Bodies signifies happiness and success
Hen: increase of riches or addition to the family
Horns: Fertility, godliness, spirituality, forces of nature
Horse: Strength, travel, grave, desires fulfilled through a prosperous journey
Horseshoe: Luck, protection, travel, a lucky journey or success in marriage
Hour glass: Caution, imminent peril
House: Success
Human Figures: judged by what they appear to be doing
Hummingbird: Communication, visitors

Interrogation (mark of), doubt or disappointment
Ivy: honour and happiness through faithful friends

Jackal: a mischief maker of no account
Jug: good health

Kangaroo: a rival in business or love
Kettle: death
Key: Mysteries, enlightenment, security, prosperity, fertility, money, increasing trade, a good husband or wife
Kite: a sign of lengthy travel leading to honour and dignity
Knife: a warning of disasters through quarrels and enmity
Knot: Manifestation, hindrance, marriage, binding, restriction

Ladder: Turmoil, sun, ascent, descent, evolution, initiation, a sign of travel
Leopard: a sign of immigration and subsequent success
Letters: signifies news
Lily: on top of cup, health and happiness, bottom, anger, strife
Lines: indicate journeys and their directions
Lion: Influence, royalty, power, strength, ferocity, greatness through powerful friends
Lock: Obstacles, protection, safety, security

Man: a visitor arriving
Mermaid: misfortune, especially to seafaring persons
Mirror: Reversal, moon, women, love, reflection, beauty, knowledge, transference, communication
Monkey: deception in love
Moon: (as a crescent), prosperity and fortune
Mountain: Journeys, hindrances, powerful friends; many mountains, powerful enemies
Mouse: Theft, danger of poverty through death or swindling
Mushroom: Shelter, food, sudden separation of lovers after a quarrel

Nail: Pain, anguish
Numbers: very lucky, long life, good health, happy marriage

Oblong figures: family or business squabbles
Owl: Wisdom, an evil omen, indicative of sickness, poverty, disgrace

Palm tree: good luck, children to a wife, marriage to a maid
Parrot: Brashness, color, scandal, a sign of emigration for a lengthy period
Peacock: Luxury, splendor, vanity, success and acquisition of property; a happy marriage
Pear: great wealth and improved social position
Pheasant: a legacy
Pig: good and bad luck mixed
Pigeons: important news if flying, if not, domestic bliss
Pineapple: Hospitality, easy life
Pine cones: Food, sustenance, winter
Pine tree: continuos happiness
Pistol: disaster
Purse: Gain, money

Rabbit: fair success in a city or large town
Rat: treacherous servants, losses through enemies
Raven: death for the aged, divorce, failure in business
Razor: lovers quarrel and separation
Reptile: Quarrels
Rider: good news from oversees regarding finances
Rifle: a sign of discord and strife
Ring: Marriage, containment, eternity; if near clouds an unhappy marriage
Rose: Love, lost love, richness of life, the past, a lucky sign denoting good fortune and happiness

Salt: Purity, purification, money, stability, foundation, cleansing, healing
Saw: trouble brought about by strangers
Scales: Balance, justice, lawsuit
Scissors: Quarrels, separations, illness, separation of lovers
Serpents: spiteful enemies, bad luck, illness
Shark: danger of death
Sheep: success, prosperity
Shell: Creativity good luck, money, prosperity, emotional stability
Ship: Increase, travel, news, successful journey
Skull & Crossbones: Death, resurrection, comfort, consolement
Snake: Wisdom, eternity, masculinity, a man, secrecy, knowledge, or a bad omen. Great caution should be exercised
Spider: Very good fortune, cunning, secrecy, hidden things, a sign of money coming
Spoon: Luck
Squares: comfort and peace
Star: Excellent luck, divine protection, fortune, wealth, high honors, respectability, success, surrounded by dots foretells great fortune
Straight Line: a very pleasant journey
Straight Lines denote peace, happiness and long life
Swallow: a journey with a pleasant ending
Swan: Good luck, a lover, a happy marriage
Sword: Life, death, conflicts, arguments, negativity, disputes, quarrels between lovers
Sword (broken): Victory over an enemy

Timber: Logs of timber indicate business success
Toad: deceit and unexpected enemies
Tree: Good luck, forces of nature, age, stability, power, prosperity, and happiness
Triangle: One point up-good luck and unexpected legacies, one point down-bad luck
Turtle: Sluggishness, fertility, retreat, stagnation
Twisted Figures: disturbances and vexation

Umbrella: annoyance and trouble
Unicorn: scandal

Vulture: bitter foes

Wagon: a sign of approaching poverty
Wavy Lines: Denotes losses and vexation
Well: Spirituality, inspiration, Mother Nature, love
Wheel: Seasons, reincarnation, completion, endings, forever, an inheritance about to come
Windmill: success in enterprise
Wolf: beware of jealous intrigues
Woman: pleasure and happiness, several women indicates scandal
Wood: a speedy marriage
Worms: indicate secret foes, pleasure and happiness

Yew Tree: death of an aged person leaving his legacy to you

Zebra: travel and adventure in foreign lands

 

Although included in the above lists, there are certain figures and symbols which are a common occurrences and bear such definite interpretation that it is advisable to refer to them here in detail.

* Invariably signs of approaching good fortune: triangles, stars, clover leaves, anchors, trees, garlands and flowers, bridges or arches, and crowns.
* Invariably signs of threatened ill luck: coins, clouds, crosses, serpents, rats and mice, some wild beasts, hourglasses, umbrellas, church steeples, swords, guns, ravens, owls, and monkeys are all ominous symbols.