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Dear Student;

Thank you for taking my course: Rider-Waite Iconotropy Vol. 1. To assist you in your studies I have
created this PDF for only your personal use to further familiarize yourself with iconotropy and I ask that
you do not share or re-print this booklet for profit.

For books, telescopes, questions and more, visit me at:

A
Acacia – The Ark of the Covenant was made from Acacia wood plated with gold and Christ’s
thorns were woven from it as well. It is referred to as The Tree of Life, and from under this
tree the first Egyptian gods were born. It carries with it the meaning of re-birth, immortality
and is of religious importance as a solar symbol.
Air - a symbol of spiritual life, freedom and purity. Air is a primal element.
Apollo - is a Greek God who brought life giving light to the earth. He is portrayed as
youthful, vigorous and had glorious golden hair. He has been associated with Helios, the God
who drove the sun’s chariot across the sky.
Apple – a symbol widely used for love, marriage, springtime, youth, fertility, longevity, as
well as sexual happiness, and therefore suggests ‘temptation’ in Christian tradition.

B
Bell – symbolizes the divine command to study the spiritual law, obedience to the word, and
intercommunication between heaven and earth.
Bridge- symbolically it can represent communication between Earth and the divine.
Butterfly- its miraculous cycle of metamorphosis links it with transformation and
resurrection of the soul. Two butterflies together signify a joyful marriage.

C
Cat – Egyptians associated the cat with the moon and it was sacred to the goddess Isis. The
ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet is represented as a cat and was the guardian of marriage.
Like the ouroboros and the salamander, the cat was also a symbol of eternity, because when
it sleeps it curls up into a ball with its head and tail touching.
Clouds - in Greek mythology clouds represented the flocks of the God Apollo. And in Nordic
legend they were the steeds of the Valkyrie’s. Clouds symbolize metamorphosis observed, not
in any one of its stages, but in its fulfillment. Clouds are an obvious fertility symbol as they
are harbingers of rain and stand for revelation, the presence of God, and a divinity almost
made manifest.
Crown - as a reward of virtue, crowns are promises of eternal life. The crown is placed above
the head and both the crown and the head are emblems of power and light. A crown is a
visible sign of success or of a crowning achievement.
Crutches - lameness usually symbolizes some defect of the spirit and crutches reveal this
weakness, which may be genuine or assumed. The crutch stands for an immoral, hidden or
shameful type of support.

D
Dog - symbolic with loyalty, fidelity and protective vigilance. A symbol of mercury
representing water, Earth and the moon. The dog acts as an intermediary between the two
worlds as a spokesman for the living to be able to question the dead and the deities. It is said
that dogs have the knowledge of the visible and invisible sides of human life.

E
Earth - symbolizes motherhood, life and receiving it back. The earth is a symbol of fertility
and regeneration.

f
Falcon – referred to as the Prince of Birds, the falcon is a symbol of strength and beauty.
Falcons that are depicted as being hooded, symbolize hope in the light which is nourished by
those who live in the darkness. They are images of prisoners, of spiritual ardor that has been
stifled.
Fire - in Christian symbolism fire represents the Holy Spirit. It is also symbolic of war and
chaos. It is linked with the sun, with people or with objects as they may be referred to as
fiery. It symbolizes purification, regeneration, home, hearth, and divine love. Fire is a
powerful element attributed to the gods and has been featured around the planet in every
culture throughout history.
Fleur de Lys – the three petals represent faith, wisdom and valor.
Forget Me Not – a symbol of remembrance, friendship, fidelity and can also indicate
desperate love.
g
Gourd – a symbol of plenty, fertility and of re-birth.
Grapes - fertility from their characteristic as a fruit and sacrifice because grapes give wine.
Wine in Christianity, represents the blood of Christ.

h
Horse – a symbol of nobility, speed, freedom, and beauty. In the ancient world the horse was
an emblem of the life-force and was linked to the sun and sky gods.
Horus - the falcon-headed ancient Egyptian God, he was frequently represented by an eye
called: Eye of Horus. He symbolized the mercilessly keen eye of justice, from which no action
in private or in public life can escape.

I
Ibis – is an incarnation of the ancient Egyptian God Thoth, patron of astronomers, scribes,
magicians, healers and enchanters.
Iris - in Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess of the rainbow and she was a symbol of purity
and protection. The iris represents hope and the power of light.

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Laurel- a symbol of victory, peace, purification, protection, divination, secret knowledge and
immortality. Laurel is sacred to Apollo and expressive of victory.
Lightning - symbolizes the spark of life and the powers of fertilization. It is fire from heaven,
vastly powerful and terrifyingly swift, which may be either life-giving or death-dealing.
Lily – Symbolizes the mystical surrender to God’s grace. The lily is associated with purity
and peace being linked to both goddesses of virginity and fertility.
Lizard – in Egypt and throughout the classical world, the lizard was sometimes linked with
wisdom and it became an attribute of logic in the arts.
Lotus – represents human spiritual growth, and with the suns glory, rises high above the
murky waters. The Lotus is a symbol of what is divine or immortal in humanity, and is
almost synonymous perfection.
m
Moth - referred to as a night-butterfly, the moth theme runs throughout Persian mystical
poetry and becomes a symbol of humanity in the chilly darkness, yearning for wings to take
flight towards the height of divine love.

no
Osiris - in ancient Egypt, Osiris began as a god symbolizing the inexhaustible power of plant
life, and then Osiris became identified with the sun in its nocturnal aspect symbolizing the
continuance of birth and rebirth throughout ancient Egyptian lore Osiris has played many
parts.

p
Pigeon – is a symbol of Spring, after the vernal equinox.
Pomegranate – is an emblem of fertility, the womb, life-blood and eternal life.
Primrose – called the “prima rosa,” as it flowers early, it represents first love, youth and
purity. It is linked with the Nordic love goddess, Freya, while the Celts regarded it as a
flower of the fairies.
Pythia - the Delphic priestess of the cult of Apollo who would give prophecies.

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Rabbit - are endowed with possessing the secret elements of life and are placed at the service
of mankind. There are two aspects of this symbol, lucky and unlucky, left and right, it is
often difficult to distinguish each attribute from the other.
Rainbow – signifies the bridging between the supernatural and natural worlds. In Greece the
rainbow goddess was named Iris. The rainbow was associated with serpents in parts of
Africa, India, Asia and Native North America, as well as in Australia, its powers were
unpredictable. The rainbow also serves as an attribute to the Virgin Mary and the Trinity.
Rose - in essence, a symbol of completion, of consummate achievement and perfection. Roses
are a symbol of love.

s
Salamander – a symbol of enduring faith in its distractibility, the salamander is associated
with fire.
Ship - is a picture of life in which the individual must choose a goal and steer a course.
Snail – is universally regarded as a lunar symbol of the regular cycle of rebirth as the moon
waxes and wanes. In ancient Egypt the snail stood for the spiral, symbolizing the evolution
of life and is associated with the action of the microcosmic spiral.
Sunflower – a solar symbol linked to immortality and Helios’ the sun God.

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Wall – a wall is an enclosure which guards and shuts in a world avoiding invasion of evil
influences. Walls are interruptions to intercommunication with their twofold psychological
repercussions and security which stifles and protects, as well as imprisons. Wall symbolism
may be related to the passive female aspect of the womb.
Water – symbolically water is feminine and is associated with the moon. It is the origin of all
life with its fertility being at various states such as running, stagnant, or stormy and each
has its own symbolism there-in. Water can destroy, dissolve, wash away, or regenerates. It is
a source of purification and healing in many religions.
Whale – a symbol of the womb and regeneration. The whale represents the might of the sea
and is equated with plenty.
Wheat - an emblem of plenty, and symbolizes the gift of life and immortality. Wheat is
linked to the summer, fertility and abundant harvest.
Wolf - symbolic of valor amongst the Romans and Egyptians, the symbol of the wolf was
regarded as positive from the fact that it can see in the dark hence, it became a symbol of
light, the sun, of the warrior and of the hero.

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