Before the written word, human beings used symbols as the primary means of self-expression. Hope and fear, joy and sorrow, sickness and health, love and hate, good and evil, yin and yang, feminine and masculine — all found early expressions as symbols.

The background symbols used in Karen Blessen's illustration need some explanation: (1) Nade-Takara-Nusubi is the Japanese symbol of longevity; (2) Unkatahe is the Native American goddess who fights against disease; (3) Manito is the Native American Great Spirit; (4) Aglde is the Zoroastrian oracle of recovery and health; and (5) The Buddhist Five Great Blessings – happiness, health, virtue, peace, and long life.

The three main symbols of the cover illustration are: (A) from Native American traditions (adapted from the cover of Coyote Medicine, by Lewis Mehl-Madrona, M.D.); (B) the healing hands of therapeutic touch; and (C) the Chinese Tai-chi symbol of life energy, represented by the yin and yang (masculine and feminine).

Karen Blessen is an artist, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Dallas.