October 12 - Daily Draw (Etteilla!)

I had so much fun with Eudes Picard the last few weeks, that I have become interested in reading with all my early occult Tarots!  And of course, if I'm interested in reading with occult Tarot, it's probably best to start at the beginning - the Etteillas.

There's several different versions of these decks, each more or less following the occult ideas and cartomantic interpretations of Jean-Baptiste Alliette, a Frenchman and rumoured hairdresser from the mid-18th century. He published Etteilla, or a Way to Entertain Yourself with a Deck of Cards in 1770, and the Tarot hasn't been the same since.

The version I chose today is a lovely reproduction by Lo Scarabeo, of what is called the Type III Etteilla deck: originally named Tarot Egyptien: Grand Jeu de l'Oracle des Dames, it is now published as The Book of Thoth Etteilla Tarot.  It was originally published in 1865, many years after Etteilla's death.  It's illustrated in a very nice Neo-Gothic style that whispers gently of old gypsies laden with softly jangling bracelets.  I cannot tell you how much I love this tarot stylistically - but up until now I haven't read with it!  The Majors are all renamed and reordered according to Etteilla's vision, and there are keywords influenced by his ideas on the tops and bottoms of the cards.  I don't usually use reversals, but as these decks are meant to be read with them, I changed up my shuffling pattern a bit to turn some cards around.

I drew 'Prudence' - apparently Etteilla's equivalent of the Hanged Man - the Two of Cups, and the Knave (page) of Cups reversed.  I'm not great with French, but with the help of an online translator and the accompanying booklet, I believe the keywords are 'prudence', 'love', and 'fondness'.  Prudence is about doing or saying the right thing at the right time: nothing hasty or rushed here.  The cards seem to be calling for prudence in love; a passionate relationship that fades to a fondness and familiarity - as most people in a long-term relationship will attest, this is the way things go.  It's impossible to be in such an intense emotional state 24/7, but it's sometimes difficult to accept that the honeymoon phase is past, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

For my Lenormand pair, I once again used the Astrological Lenormand, I think it matches nicely with the feel of the Book of Thoth Tarot.  More about love here - Ring + Heart.  A loving commitment.. perhaps my husband making a sweet promise in love?  I guess today is the day to ask for him to cook dinner!

October 7 - Daily Draw (spanish style)

I'll be extending my week of Spanish school Tarot readings for two more entries, to highlight the two remaining Spanish style decks I own.  The only other deck I'm aware of is the Balbi Tarot, which I have unfortunately been unable to get my hands on yet.

Today I'll be using Lo Scarabeo's Universal Wirth Tarot, with Wirth-style majors and a minor arcana designed according to Eudes Picard's specifications. I drew the Seven of Chalices (cups), the Knight of Wands, and the Knave (page-equivalent) of Chalices.

The Seven of Chalices represents the world getting out of the way of love; material problems get out of the way and emotions are free to rule.  For me, material concerns that get in the way of love is mostly our children - they're wonderful and I love them, but they make having an adult relationship difficult!  The Knight tells of an adult that is unmarried, perhaps an artist or actor or in some other creative endeavour.  I'm honestly not sure who this could refer to; the court cards are a bit confusing in this deck and I don't have them figured out yet.  The Two of Chalices tells of the union of two magnetic principles.. I'm beginning to think my husband has stacked the deck *giggle*!

For my Lenormand draw, I used Lo Scarabeo's Art Nouveau Oracle; it matches nicely with the art style of the Universal Wirth.  I drew Clover + Coffin, which seems to say that my luck is coming to an end.  I'm heading out to a dinner with the in-laws soon, who I usually get along quite well with; here's hoping the cards are wrong on this count and my luck continues!