Grand Etteilla
Mlle Lenormand started in her teens with this specific deck of 78 cards (lames). I have an orginal one from Grimaud France from 1900 in Museum quality condition. I also have the book that goes with reading an Etteilla, all in French of course and dated of 1940. My grand father was a freemason and it was part of the 'family' collection.
Each card has its key word and its reversed key word. For example:
59-Perte (loss) and reversed Deuil (mourning)
74-Un present (a gift) and reversed Cloture (hedge)
47- Reussite (success) and reversed Expedition (expedition/venture)
27- Retard (delay) and reversed Traverses (crossings)
The wands have freemasons symbolism pictured with nails.
The Coins have astrological symbolism using sun, moon and greek gods such as mercury, apollo (sun) etc... North and south nodes as well as the part of fortune are indicated. Notice that there is no Uranus, Neptune and Pluto!
The meanings are very different than in our Tarot the way we know it today. And the reversed meanings of the Etteilla in most cases have nothing to do with being the opposite of the straight up meanings. Sometimes it is a nuance such as Loss vs Mourning while sometimes it is very different like 71- Argent (money) vs Inquietude (worries). The idea of reading the Tarot up and reversed comes from the Etteilla system. However readers translate the reversed meanings as the opposite to the upstraights' but the Etteilla system isn't that simple.
The major arcana are also complex. Some like the 18-(the hermit as we know it today) is 'traitre' both up and reversed. It means 'traitor' in English! 20-(the wheel of fortune as we understand it today) is Fortune (do you need a translation?;-)) and reversed is 'augmentation' which means 'increase'. 12-(the temperance) is La Prudence which means Wisdom and reversed it is 'Le Peuple' meaning 'The People'. On that card, notice there is an astrological sign on the top left side of the picture, it is the mark of the pisces.
Let's complicate a bit more...7-Appui (support) and reversed Protection (you can guess this meaning?). The Libra sign is noted on the top left of the picture. But notice the top right inscription: 5.Cre (this is referring to the 7 days of creation in the first testamen!). How do we know that? Well let's see, take card 6-Nuit (night) reversed Jour (day). Virgo sign noted and the 4. Cre.
Let's continue...2-Eclaircissement (enlightment) vs Feu (fire). Note on the top/left the Taurus symbol and on the top of the card we read: 2e. Element 1e. Creation (ah now we have it!) translation: second Element, first creation! Make sure you do translate Eclaircissment into enlightment it is not clearing up! Are you hanging in there? 3-Propos (Intentions/words) vs Eau (water). Top/left we have the Gemini astrological sign and on the top of the card: 1.El (first element) 3e. Cre (third creation).
Ok let's do this one: 4-Depouillement (That is a hard one to translate in one word as it has several meanings, being bare, analysing and ascetism) vs Air (AIR!). Top/left is Cancer symbol and on top we have 3e. El (third element) and 2e. Cre (second creation). Are you still doubting? Well let's do this one then just to confirm things for you...8- Etteilla (no translation here!) vs Questionnante (female inquirer/consultante). Top/left is Scorpio symbol and on the top/right is said: 7.repos meaning 7.rest!
So let's summarize and please bare with me:
2-Enlightment Fire (picture of the star again but pay attention to what surrounds it, it is like sperm. CREATION. the little children on the bottom are holding and about to kiss in front of some altar (no it is not a fireplace!))second element first creation Taurus
3-Intentions/words Eau first element third creation Gemini
4-Ascetism/analysing (a naked woman-repeating theme doing some alchemy with the mixing of the content of the jars while in the sky set saturn, mars, mercury, venus, jupiter and moon astrological symbols! notice the circled star that seems to try to say something and the strange presence of the butterfly symbolizing rebirth) Air third element second creation Cancer
5-Voyage (Travel) vs Terre (Earth) Earth fourth element sixth creation Leo
(notice other signs inside of the picture, aquarius/scorpio-phoenix being its actual animal and taurus/leo) Voyage should be understood as beyond worlds (pay attention to the picture of a serpent going full circle travelling the different zodiac signs and animal symbols while the woman is standing between two pyramids symbolizing two worlds!)
6-Nuit (night) (note the moon and the sun and two astrological symbols inserted aries and libra the opposite of each other as venus/mars ying/yang) fourth creation Virgo
7-Appui (support) (picture refers to prehistorical times and the evolution of species, notice the serpent/snake again!) fifth creation Libra
8-Etteilla (naked woman with an aura energy field!) seven. rest and Scorpio.
Now you are going to ask: what about the 1- card!? Here it is!
1-Etteilla (No naked man here!!! Just the brilliant sun in its whole mighty!) vs Questionnant (male inquirer, consultant) Aries astrological symbol.
Based on the words written on 1 and 8, those two cards can be used as key cards to represent the person who is asking for the reading. Some people have question my system of key cards thinking it was a complete invention but not really...you just need to know the Etteilla's system to understand others were using that notion way before I was born. Etteilla was one of them!
The wands associate with travel, creativity and communication. The Coins being business, trade and money. You need to understand that the Etteilla was used to decode the future but also to open the door for revelations. It was a tool for initiation in secret societies and esoterism. The original deck has a very thick consistency in its 'lames' (thick pieces of paper) and can't be shuffled. It does not have flexibility. It is mixed up lying flat on the table (original tarots were in wood thin plates) and then cards are chosen or ensembled in a specific way to create a spread.
I hope you found my little insertion somewhat interesting.
Blessings!