I've always found those symbols rather counter-intuitive, and now even more because (at least on modern Apple keyboards) these symbols aren't printed on the keyboard (except the Command symbol).

One of the best power-user tips I have to pass on is to learn the keyboard shortcuts for as many tasks as you can. Learning the shortcuts is easy, command-shift-s, shift-option-a…, but in OS X we ...

Abbreviated "Ctrl" or "Ctl." A modifier key that is pressed with a letter or digit key to command the computer. The caret symbol is a common symbol for Control; for example, ^Y means Ctrl-Y. In most ...