Live online reading of 'The Way to Zed' - 7pm tonight for Camberwell Arts Festival

In 2018 I wrote a poem cycle, 'The Way to Zed', a personal journey through the shapes, sounds and histories of the letters of the alphabet.

'H' - The Fool

I was delighted to read the cycle in full for Camberwell Arts Festival 2020.

'M' - Reflection (Temperance)

The reading was accompanied by a presentation of the Tarot designs I've produced based on the poems - these were available in an exclusive online exhibition for the Festival (for a very limited period, so check them while you can)

'Z' - The Ace of Swords
You can see and hear the reading in full here:



The surreal quest described in the poems is mapped out by the symbols that our modern letters descended from. The corresponding ancient symbols, and the Tarot cards I've chosen to represent the letters, are as follows:


Letter
Corresponding ancient symbol
In the 'Way to Zed' tarot
A Bull's head Ace of Wealth (Pentacles)
B Building (in hieroglyphs) and a birch tree (in runes) The Empress
C Throwing stick The Moon
D 'A door or a fish' Death
E Jubilant man The Empress
F Mace Ace of Sticks (Wands)
G As 'C' Justice
HFence The Fool
I Arm The Magician
J...is 'I' with a tailThe Chariot
KOpen hand The Wheel of Fortune
L Goad for animalsThe Nomad (Hermit)
M Water Reflection (Temperance)
N Snake The World
OEyeAce of Vessels (Cups)
P Mouth The Emperor
Q Knot or monkey's tail The Hanged Man
R FaceStrength
S ToothThe Star
T A mark (in a similar way to our modern 'X') The High Priestess
U As 'F'The Lovers
V Variant of 'U' The Devil
WDouble 'U'Judgement
X The Spine of Osiris (speculative)The Tower
Y As 'F', 'U' and 'V' The Hierophant
Z A weapon Ace of Swords

--

Many aficionados will be conscious of an well-established correspondence between the Semitic alphabet and the Major Arcana cards listed above - this sequence wholly departs from that to forge a new relationship between our modern alphabet and the tarot.

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