e to illustrate the method of interpretation.

A foot signifies a journey, and also understanding. A mouth
denotes speech, revelation, a message. An ear signifies news,
information; if ugly and distorted, scandal and abuse.

The sun, if shining brightly, denotes prosperity, honours, good
health, favours.

The moon when crescent denotes success, public recognition,
increase and improvement; when gibbous, sickness, decadence,
loss and trouble.

The sun being rayless or seen through a haze denotes sickness to
a man, some misfortune, danger of discredit. When eclipsed
it denotes the ruin or death of a man. The moon similarly
affected denotes equal danger to a woman. These are all natural
interpretations and probably would be immediately appreciated.

But every symbol has a threefold or fourfold interpretation and
the nature of the enquiry or purpose for which the vision is
sought will indicate the particular meaning conveyed. For if the
enquiry be concerning things of the spiritual world the
interpretation of the answering vision must be in terms of that
world, and similarly if the question has relation to the intellectual
or the physical worlds. Thus a pain of scales would denote in the
spiritual sense, absolute justice; in the intellectual, judgment,
proportion, comparison, reason; in the social, debt or obligation,
levy, rate, or tax; and in the material, balance of forces,
equilibrium, action and reaction. If the scales are evenly balanced
the augury will be good and favourable to the purport of the quest,
but if weighted unevenly it is a case of _mene, tekel, upharsin_;
for it shows an erring judgment, an unbalanced mind, failure in
one's obligations, injustice. A sword seen in connection with the
scales denotes speedy judgment and retribution. This is an
illustration of an artificial symbol.

A ship is a symbol of trading, of voyaging, and is frequently used
in the symbolical vision. If in full sail it indicates that
communication with the spiritual world is about to be facilitated,
that news from distant lands will come to hand, that trade will
increase, that a voyage will be taken. If writing should appear on
the sails it will be an additional means of enlightenment. If flying
the pirate flag it denotes translation to another land, death. The
land indicated may be the spiritual world itself, in which case the
death will be natural; but if it should be a foreign country, then
death will take place there by s