Symbola & Synthēmata

The tokens of the gods

In the theurgy of Iamblichus and Proclus, the gods have sown symbola and synthēmata — secret tokens or signatures — throughout the natural world, in stones, plants, animals, names, and sounds, each bearing a hidden kinship with a higher power. Theurgy works by gathering these tokens in rite, so that like is drawn to like and the soul is carried up the chain of sympathy to the divine.