The symbolism of the alphabet

...the change of religion that has taken place with each new zodiac sign, we may well say, "May it not be a bad omen" original: "Absit omen".

Nothing truly dies in symbolism; old emblems are revived and adapted to new conditions, while still retaining lingering traces of their former use. Remains of worship associated with signs that preceded the Bull still exist in the alphabet and elsewhere; for example, the Greek letter Pi (Π) possibly represents the Heavenly Twins, the Dioscuri Castor and Pollux. However, the era of Taurus has left a deep and lasting impression. It is permanently fixed in our alphabet by the first letter, which kept the name of the god who reigned in Egypt around the time when—according to a timeline that is not yet completely forgotten—the creation of the world is supposed to have occurred.

The letter A has acquired a shape suited to its origin and dignity. Rising from the horizontal Phoenician version of the letter, it has towered upward, just as a church spire symbolically soars from the bell tent placed on top of a tower to protect a watchman. By assuming the pyramidal form of the triangle—which has always been regarded as a symbol of the Deity—the A appropriately leads the sequence of letters. In the Greek alphabet, this sequence is fittingly ended by Ω (Omega).

The contrast between the beginning and the end, the first and the last, as typified by Alpha and Omega, is striking. The aspiring A is a symbol of virility and initiative, while the horseshoe-shaped Ω is a feminine sign. Like an empty glass turned upside down, it aptly closes the series. In church decoration, the last letter is frequently seen pierced by the first as one of many emblems of union and "at-one-ment" reconciliation/atonement.

It is likely that the loop of the second letter, B, was originally single but was doubled to mark the contrast between the numbers 1 and 2. The idea being expressed is no longer termination or completion, but progress. The Brahmans say that the Supreme Being becomes two in the act of Creation. The Gnostics declare that the Universe was formed out of a monad a single unit and a dyad a pair. The prefix bi- means two or double. Thus, the double curve of B appears perfectly appropriate, briefly symbolizing the sequence of evolution from the one to the many, and from the simple to the complex.

The letter B is the model for several other letters, such as D, P, and R, which are formed by joining straight lines with curves. The frequency of this combination reminds us of the characteristic emblem carried by the legendary inventor of letters: the wand of Hermes (or Mercury), known as the Caduceus. This consists of a rod entwined by a serpent on each side.

The association between the alphabet and the snake is both close and remarkable. This is not surprising when one remembers that the alphabet is full of religious significance and that serpent worship was once universal. The serpent is an emblem of Wisdom and of Life. it appears on the aegis shield or breastplate of Athena and in the...