"Think about this but don't break your head, have fun."- Jean-Baptiste Alliette, Etteilla or the Only Way to Draw the Cards The above quote comes from "Etteilla's" meticulous coverage of the diverse combinations and correspondences that exist between the cards of the tarot (or in his case, those of the "Grand Etteilla" deck). So far … Continue reading “Don’t Break Your Head”
Etteilla
Off-Center and Off-Balance or Completely Off-the-Page?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've begun reading the second (1773) edition of Jean-Baptise Alliette's seminal book on divination, Etteilla or The Only Way to Read the Cards. In an example reading he mentions that failure of the card representing the querent to appear in the draw meant that she was not "at the center of her affairs." … Continue reading Off-Center and Off-Balance or Completely Off-the-Page?
A “Deep Dive” Card Selection Method and Multipurpose Spread
Here's another "new-to-me" idea, courtesy of The Grand Etteilla. In the book there is a five-card spread in which the reader creates the layout by initially pulling the fifth card from the top (Card #5), then the card five tiers below that one (Card #10), followed by the card five tiers below the tenth card … Continue reading A “Deep Dive” Card Selection Method and Multipurpose Spread
Living in “The Now”
I recently came across an interesting interpretation for the 6 of Pentacles (Coins, Disks, Diamonds, etc): it can reflect the querent's current physical surroundings, the "now" of mundane existence. Although there were no Qabalistic inferences, this suggests the structure of the Tree of Life, in which the sixth sephira holds a central position with more … Continue reading Living in “The Now”
Ten as the “Hub of Insights”
"The number 10, which is complete, is the central meeting point for insights of all types." This observation by M.M. d'Odoucet in The Grand Etteilla touches obliquely on my own view of the tarot Tens: they represent awareness of the "disengagement" that must follow any closure which, in its fullness, brings either utter satisfaction or … Continue reading Ten as the “Hub of Insights”
The Ace of Cups as “Affirmation”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The following observations by Mme. Le Marchand in The Grand Etteilla regarding the Ace of Cups are unique in my experience of tarot literature (although they do bear a resemblance to the cartomancy I've studied). It's interesting stuff for speculation and perhaps for use. This Ace is described as "confirming the prediction of … Continue reading The Ace of Cups as “Affirmation”
A Matter of Succession
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm leaping right over other European contributors to the esoteric tarot like Papus, de Guaita, Peladan, Pitois (Paul Christian) and Wirth, mainly because I haven't explored them to any depth yet; I'm still getting my feet wet with Etteilla. In The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley (apparently echoing the now-disputed sentiments of Eliphas … Continue reading A Matter of Succession
Death: The “Bad Neighbor”
UPDATE: As expected, this pushed a lot of buttons in the online tarot world. Almost everyone missed the point that it is a radical rethinking (in this one narrow instance) of tarot divination in which I'm not interested so much in what will happen and its consequences as in actively using the cards as a … Continue reading Death: The “Bad Neighbor”
Belushi, Etteilla and Holy Water
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm sure you're asking yourself what on Earth the three subjects of the title could possibly have in common, even though my admitted fondness for making odd connections is no secret. Bear with me while I spin the yarn. Back in the heyday of Saturday Night Live, John Belushi occasionally did his "Samurai" … Continue reading Belushi, Etteilla and Holy Water
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 