which are
invoked.

10. The priest speaks in the person of his god.

11. Referring to the Nahuatl belief that there are nine upper and
nine under worlds.

From the same work of de la Serna I collect the following list of
symbolic expressions. It might easily be extended, but these will be
sufficient to show the figurative obscurities which they threw around
their formulas of conjuration, but which were by no means devoid of
coherence and instruction to those who could understand them.

_Symbolic Expressions of the Nagualists._

_Blood._--"The red woman with snakes on her gown" (referring to the
veins).

_Copal Gum._--"The white woman" (from the whitish color of the
fresh gum).

_Cords_ (for carrying burdens).--"The snake that does woman's work"
(because women sit still to knit, and the cord works while itself
is carried).

_Drunkenness._--"My resting time," or "when I am getting my
breath."

_The Earth._--"The mirror that smokes" (because of the mists that
rise from it); "the rabbit with its mouth upward" (the rabbit, in
opposition to the one they see in the moon; with its mouth upward,
because of the mists which rise from it like the breath exhaled
from the mouth); "the flower which contains everything" (as all
fruit proceeds from flowers, so does all vegetable life proceed
from the earth, which is therefore spoken of as a flower); "the
flower which bites the mouths" (a flower, for the reason given; it
eats the mouths, because all things necessarily return to it, and
are swallowed by it).

_Fingers._--"The five fates," or "the five works," or "the five
fields" (because by the use of his fingers man works out his own
destiny. Hence also the worship of the Hand among the Nahuas as the
god Maitl, and among the Mayas as the god Kab, both which words
mean "hand").

_Fire._--"Our Father of the Four Reeds" (because the ceremony of
making the new fire was held on the day Four Reeds, 4 Acatl); "the
shining rose;" "the yellow flyer;" "the red-haired one;" "the
yellow spirit."

_A Knife of Copper._--"The yellow Chichimec" (because the
Chichimecs were alleged to tear out the bowels of their enemies).

_The Maguey Plant._--"My sister, the eight in a row" (because it
was planted in this manner).

_A Road._--"That which is d