The Eyes

Tilo's eyes are a symbol of her true being in spite of whatever form her body takes at any given time. After becoming a mistress of spices, she takes on the body of an old woman, but her eyes remain the same. When she sloughs off the old body and becomes young, Raven is sure of her identity because of her eyes.

Hands

The hands of a mistress are symbols of their ability to master the craft. The hands call on the power of the spices. Heavy hands lack spirit, but light hands are too flighty. Raven describes his father's hands, which were always stained with oil, a symbol of the work he did at a refinery. His father was self-conscious of how his hands appeared, but Raven found the hands to be symbols of his father's love.

Colors

Colors are often symbolic. Traditional examples...