Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols

by Sarah Bartlett, Peter Furtado, Brian M. Fagan

Explore  The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols  with this beautifully illustrated compendium of 100 diverse arcane tools and writings said to hold the key to the mysteries of the universe.

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 analysed in detail to 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 secrets to pharaohs, statesmen, kings, and queens. In Renaissance Europe, two powerful women - Catherine of Medici and, later, Elizabeth I of England - patronized the most important magi of the time.

John Dee's obsidian mirror revealed the future of the nation to Elizabeth, while Nostradamus divulged spiritually inspired prophecies to Catherine at the Musée du Louvre in Paris. Organized into three chapters - The Art of Divination; Enchantments, Symbols, and Talismans; and In Search of Secret Knowledge - the book's engaging and informative text brings to light the secrets and intrigues that surround each mysterious object and the obscure arts of the people who used them, and highlights how to decode their signs and symbols.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Reference, Science, Art, Research, Spirituality

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2015

About the author

Sarah Bartlett (D.Psych Astrol) is the author of international best-selling books including The Tarot Bible, The Little Book of Practical Magic, The Witch's Spellbook and National Geographic's Guide to Supernatural Places. As contributing astrologer to media such as Cosmopolitan, She, Spirit & Destiny, the London Evening Standard and BBC Radio 2, Sarah now practices and teaches tarot, natural magic, astrology and other esoteric arts. She lives in the countryside.

Reviews

[P.J. MacNamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hardcore intellectuals amongst you will hate this, I'm sure. But anyone who has a casual interest in this kind of thing and wants to pick up a lot of information on a lot of cultures spread across the globe and across millennia could do a lot worse. It's easy to follow and beautifully laid out. The colour illustrations complement the text perfectly.

This doesn't treat you like an idiot and it doesn't treat you like you're studying for a PhD in esoteric anthropology either. I learned a lot I didn't know and had fun along the way. £5 well spent.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jag läste boken på svenska.

Lagom intressant faktabok, men inte så djupgående. Det som fastnat mest är Sri Yantra som jag inte kan sluta stirra på! Jag förstår varför den används vid meditation.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flaky. I was thinking it would be more intellectual but it's astrology and mysticism.

[Art Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book I had hoped I would feel like Dr Faustus, knowing the universe is mine for the taking! "I have studied the hundred symbols, Universe! Bow to me!" Sadly, there weren't a hundred symbols- there were a bunch of them but there were also cults, natural oddities and a grab bag of other phenomena. Each has been allotted a two page spread with nifty pictures.
This book is a good introductory survey of ways in which peoples ancient and modern have attempted understand the universe in a fun and friendly format.
I have a couple of quibbles. First, driven by the format, each symbol or phenomenon is given equal weighting which leads to whole religions and cultures lasting thousands of years getting the same scrutiny as weirdly expanding rocks in Romania. Next, there is no real ordering or grouping that might have made for a more interesting read.
My last quibble is technical. The design of the book makes it difficult to read. There is glossy paper and header bands that the type is overtop of causing one to have to adjust the angle of the book or wear anti-glare sunglasses while reading.
It is also not the kind of book you would sit down and read. I personally read a symbol a day while I was having my coffee in the morning and found this much more satisfying than doom scrolling the latest Trumpian outrages.
To sum up, this is a fun intro to a lot of complex subjects and symbols and provides effective 'teaser' sized amounts of information that might spur one along to delve deeper. But if you're looking for the answer to life, the universe and everything, you're better off sticking with Douglas Adams......

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of territory in 251 pages. The major entries cover 2 pages, though some of these have a subsidiary topic on those 2 pages. There are also about 15 2-page spreads of a dozen smaller entries such as Greek deities, ancient Egyptian symbols, serpents, mythological beasts, crosses, zodiac signs, tarot cards, etc. There are a lot of familiar symbols such as the ankh, lotus, medicine wheel, crescent moon, halo, hieroglyphs, and many others. There are also a lot that I've never heard of: Algol, or demon star; Intihuatana stone, Phaistos disk, Petelia tablet, Book of Raziel the Angel, and many others.
They are divided into chapters: The Natural World, The Divine World, Signs & Symbols, The Mystic World.
There's a 4-page index so you can search for specific items. There are lots of interesting images, and a list at the back as to who owns the images, though no other information is given there.
There are probably mistakes, things left out that should have been covered or at least touched on. Certainly the format can't allow for really extensive coverage of anything, but it's a start.
I really liked the book and will probably read it again sometime.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

As long as humanity has existed, we have used symbols and designs to depict ideas. The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols explores those relationships. I am familiar with mythology and various world cultural symbols through video games, so these signs aren't new.

Author Sarah Bartlett is a consultant astrologer. I didn't know such a profession existed, and thus, I was wary at first. The book is fascinating and informative, though. Bartlett examines various symbols and signs from a scholarly perspective.

The book contains artistic depictions of what they're examining. One page might discuss the significance of the Fleur-de-lis design, while the next page covers twelve more flowers. The book covers the history of the symbol and its earliest depiction. It shows if other countries have the symbol as well.

The most infamous cultural misappropriation is the Swastika. Although Hitler and his goons used it for their nefarious purposes, it is an ancient symbol of peace and prosperity.

I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with books like The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols is that they need to be much longer if they really want to be inclusive. The book discusses 100 symbols in 250 pages. Each symbol gets two pages. That’s just enough room to mention the symbol and give a brief, superficial description, and a shotgun blast discussion of the symbol’s significance. To be more substantive, the book needed to devote more space to each symbol, or perhaps limit the book’s scope. The topics are divided into four sections, “The Natural World,” “The Divine World,” “Signs and Systems,” and “The Mystic World.” To be truly encyclopedic in its coverage, each section of The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols could have written as a separate volume. As it is, the book is mildly interesting for dipping into, much like a volume of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, but not all that useful as a serious reference work.

[Shila Iris · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some truth in this book, but it completely leaves out African origins. Actually, predating AFRICA, but on the continent we know as Africa. It places the beginnings of symbols in places that came after Africa. In some cases, this may be true, but there is evidence of symbols being in Africa traditions before they appeared elsewhere. There is significant research that can lead you to the truth. I didn’t find it here. Maybe 50% truth, but no, not in this book. I’d use caution before accepting this as truth... most of the books we read don’t have evidence. Most of the opinions we form from books with no evidence lead to dead-end, made up make believe fantasy. Hmmmm.

[Carolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Includes more than symbols, with ritual objects, gods/goddesses and myths included. One to two page descriptions, so very brief for some. Also, it creates as many questions as answers. For example, in the description of A'a, it states that a hollow statue had a cavity that contained 24 small figures originally, but in 1882 the figures were destroyed. It doesn't say who destroyed the figures or why they were destroyed.

[J. Tayler Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally enjoyed this book! It is a good collections and explanation of various symbols found in various cultures, beliefs, religions, and more. The book could have gone into more detail and explored a greater variety of symbols.

[John Geddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read for an impulse buy, basically a crash course in historical symbology split up into 100 two-page spreads. I didn’t really know much about the subject starting off so I actually learned a lot, interesting stuff.

[Catherine 💕 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of those anthology books that’s a really great jumping off point for learning about other topics. There are many more than 100 symbols as every little section has many extra symbols tied to the main one.

Great if you’re easily distracted and enjoy bite sized nuggets of information.

[Nilendu Misra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting and lavishly laid out . Few themes resinated, one, parallel myths - Merduk was the Hercules of Mesopotamia; two, how early human women goddesses like Ishtar, Lilith were slandered and relegated to “night monsters” with advent of monotheism.

[Evonne Wareham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a reference book. brief fast overview of all kinds of symbols from labyrinths to the Golden Ratio. Good colour illustrations. A jumping off point for further research.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro interesante como consulta, porque leerlo de corrido es cansado y con demasiada información

[Pablo Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good good

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Studying tarot has awakened my interest in symbolism. This is a good place to start. Wonderful images and plenty of information to whet the appetite.

[MKF]

DNF

[Munaya Al salhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative for me and to get more knowledge in the matter of world's symbols and to know how they started or originate.

[Danielle Shroyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic introduction to some of the world's most historical symbols. Obviously to cover 100 of them means you aren't really able to delve too deeply into any of them. Interesting overview and good pictures but not much more data than a Google search.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative book about signs, symbols of the humanity across the time length and culture, from Nordic mythology, Greek mythology, Native Aboriginal (USA) animal symbols, Chinese I Ching, and Egyptian symbols. One interesting thing is Nazi (NSDAP or Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) Party symbol is actually representing good, origins of the universe. Public has distorted the sign as evil, but it is not. Let the truth be spoken.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Secrets of the Universe in 100 Symbols by Sarah Bartlett (Fair Wins Press 2015) (302.2223). Famous signs and symbols of ancient days are highlighted and then discussed. The symbols considered include the ankh, the Yin/Yang, and the Nazca Lines as well as other symbology. This is more mythology than anything else, but it is still interesting reading. My rating: 7/10, finished 9/27/16.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I give non-fiction 5 stars - it's usually one I want to buy and keep. Love this one. :)

[Iroquois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating histories; symbology