October 16 - Daily Draw (Etteilla)

I chose a pink theme today, because it just seemed to fit so well with the name of the deck I'm using today: originally titled the Jeu de la Princesse Tarot in 1843, it's now available (though unfortunately out of print) from Lo Scarabeo as the Esoteric Ancient Tarot.  It is, apparently, a subtype of the Etteilla I but with artwork of a more Egyptian flavor.

I drew the Magician, the Six of Cups, and the Ten of Swords reversed.  The keywords are 'melancholy', 'the past', and 'short-term success'.  It's so interesting to me how alike some of these meanings are to the RWS images - Arthur and Pamela, despite having a less-than-stellar opinion of Etteilla, sure borrowed a lot!  Despite a pretty obvious difference in style from modern Tarot, many of the meanings themselves are not out of place.  These cards seem to say: in the past, you may have felt discouraged, but things are looking up in the near future!

For my Lenormand pair I got out my Blue Owl Lenormand.  I want to like this deck; it was one of the first I purchased to help me learn the Lenormand system.  I thought the little poems would be helpful reminders of the meanings of the cards.  Unfortunately, though they are cute, the translated English poems often have little to do with the meanings of the cards as I've read them elsewhere; and I have to consciously ignore them in order to make any sense of the cards.  The Stork + Tree tells of an improvement in health; I have been working steadily on an exercise program since my last baby was born, this seems to say that my work is worth it and I'll keep making progress!  It's always nice to hear that your work will pay off.

October 14 - Daily Draw (Etteilla)

Today's Etteilla deck is the granddaddy of them all: the Grand Etteilla, now published by Grimaud and subtitled Egyptian Gypsies Tarot.  It is known as the Type I Etteilla, and was supposedly Etteilla's own deck, first published in 1790.

I drew the Ace of Swords, the Ace of Wands reversed, and the Ten of Swords.  The keywords are 'excess', 'bankruptcy' and 'sorrow'.  Ouch!  I can certainly see the pattern - excesses lead to bankruptcy, which of course leads to sorrow - and unfortunately know just what it means in my own life.  I need to stay off of eBay!  There are so many beautiful and interesting cards I'd love to have, but now is the time to be investing back in my business, not bidding on every pretty thing I see!  A sobering message, but it's nice to have the warning.  These Etteillas are very Lenormand-ish in their interpretations and strings of keywords; not surprising, since Etteilla and Mme. Lenormand were contemporaries.  This kind of fortune-telling was born and thrived in the 18th century; and while Tarot has undergone tremendous change, the Lenormand cards seem to have stayed much more true to their roots.  I like the Etteillas, but using them with the Lenormand almost seems redundant; usually I read the Tarot for personal guidance or exploration of my thoughts, and save the Lenormand cards for the more predictive kinds of readings - but this seems to be the Etteilla's specialty as well!

I used the Gypsy Lenormand for my daily pair today; all these gypsy references in the Etteillas make it seem appropriate.  Tree + Fish seems to tell of more money coming in - hopefully by heeding the warning laid out by the Tarot, I'll actually make some money and be able to indulge a bit sometime down the road!