Fourth Way
Use of symbols
### Use of symbols

In his explanations Gurdjieff often used different symbols such as the [Enneagram](/wiki/Fourth_Way_Enneagram "Fourth Way Enneagram") and the [Ray of Creation](/wiki/Ray_of_Creation "Ray of Creation"). Gurdjieff said that "the enneagram is a universal symbol. All knowledge can be included in the enneagram and with the help of the enneagram it can be interpreted... A man may be quite alone in the desert and he can trace the enneagram in the sand and in it read the eternal laws of the universe. And every time he can learn something new, something he did not know before."[A Lecture by G.I. Gurdjieff](http://www.endlesssearch.co.uk/philo_enneagramtalk.htm) The Enneagram is often studied in [contexts that do not include other elements of Fourth Way teaching](/wiki/Enneagram_of_personality "Enneagram of personality").


How can a symbol help interpret knowledge?