Yoni is of Sanskrit origin. Yanna, or Yoni, means (1) the vulva, (2) the womb, (3) the place of birth, (4) origin, (5) water, (6) a mine, a hole, or pit. As Asshur and Jupiter were the representatives of the male potency, so Juno and Venus were representatives of the female attribute. Moore, in his “Oriental Fragments,” says: “Oriental writers have generally spelled the word, ‘Yoni,’ which I prefer to write ‘IOni.’ As Lingam was the vocalised cognomen of the male organ, or deity, so IOni was that of hers.” Says R. P. Knight: “The female organs of generation were revered as symbols of the generative powers of nature or of matter, as those of the male were of the generative powers of God. They are usually represented emblematically by the shell _Concha Veneris_, which was therefore worn by devout persons of antiquity, as it still continues to be by the pilgrims of many of the common people of Italy” (“On the worship of Priapus,” p. 28). If Asshur, the conspicuous feature of the male Creator, is supplied with types and representative figures of himself, so the female feature is furnished with substitutes and typical imagery of herself. One of these is technically known as the _sistrum_ of Isis. It is the virgin’s symbol. The bars across the _fenestrum_, or opening, are bent so that they cannot be taken out, and indicate that the door is closed. It signifies that the mother is still _virgo intacta_—a truly immaculate female—if the truth can be strained to so denominate a _mother_. The pure virginity of the Celestial Mother was a tenet of faith for 2,000 years before the accepted Virgin Mary now adored was born. We might infer that Solomon was acquainted with the figure of the _sistrum_, when he said, “A garden enclosed is my spouse, a spring shut up, a _fountain sealed_” (Song of Sol. iv. 12). The _sistrum_, we are told, was only used in the worship of Isis, to drive away Typhon (evil). The Argha is a contrite form, or boat-shaped dish or plate used as a sacrificial cup in the worship of Astarte, Isis, and Venus. Its shape portrays its own significance. The Argha and _crux ansata_ were often seen on Egyptian monuments, and yet more frequently on bas-reliefs.