FrenchOccultTarot

Parisofthe1770sand1780swasanepicenterofpoliticalandsocialchange.
FueledbytheidealsoftheAmericanWarofIndependence,Franceendureda
violentandcataclysmicrevolutionthattemporarilypurgedthecountryofits
monarchyanditshierarchicalclasssystem.St.GermainandCountCagliostro
gainedentretoupperclassdrawingroomswithalluringpromisesofquick
wealthandeternallife.Mesmeristsocietiesdedicatedtomagnetichealingpopped
upintownsacrossEurope,whileintellectualsstudiedalchemyandjoinedsecret
societiesliketheEgyptianflavoredMasoniclodgefoundedbyCagliostro.
WhilegameplayersdroppedtheTarotdeMarseilles(TdM)infavorofdecorativeTarockdecks,membersofesoteric
lodgeswerediscoveringthattheTdM,withitsornateItaliansuitcardsandenigmatictrumps,wasabookof
wisdombequeathedfromthemagiofancientEgypt.Inthehandsofoccultists,Taroteventuallybecameadevicefor
organizingalargebodyofoccultcorrespondences,andtheTdMtrumpswereredesignedtoillustratetheseesoteric
teachings.
OccultismreferstoacombinationofGnosticism,Alchemy,AstrologyandChristianCabalathatcametogetherin
theRenaissancethenpercolatedthroughtheesotericlodgesof18thcenturyFrance.Tarotbecamepartofthismix
whenoccultistsconcoctedfancifulstoriesofancientmysticalinitiationritesperformedinchamberslinedwith
tarotimageryundertheEgyptianspyramids.
ThisnewwayoflookingatTarotwasintroducedtothepublicin1781whenAntoineCourt
deGebelinpublishedanessayonTarotinhismultivolumehistoryoftheancient
world,LeMondePrimitif.Thisessayisthefirstwrittendocumentwehavethat
correspondseachtrumpcardtoaletteroftheHebrewalphabet,andtellsthestoryofthe
decksinventioninancientEgypt.Sixtyyearslater,theseideascametodominatetarot
studiesthankstotheenormousinfluenceofthemagicianEliphasLevi.
IfyoubelieveTarotoriginatedinancientEgypt,thenmedievalChristiansymbolismlike
thePopeandtheLastJudgmentmustbeananachronisticcorruptionoftheoriginalEgyptianimageryandshould
bepurgedfromthedeck.Bythelate19thcentury,threetypesofdecksaddressedthisproblem:
Etteilla
EgyptiandecksbasedonthewritingsofPaulChristian
CabalisticdecksbasedontheteachingsofDeGebelin,Levi,Wirth&Papus

Etteilla

Ettteilla(17381791)wasaprofessionalcardreaderandstudentof
alchemywhodesignedaradicallynewdeckthatwentfurtherthananyin
revisioningtarotasanEgyptianbookofwisdom.Hewasawareofthe
TarotQabalahconnection,butpreferredtoemphasizeastrologyand
hermeticliteratureinhisdeck,whichdidntlookparticularlyEgyptian.
Thecardsarenumberedfrom1to78,andtheTrumpsdeviatefromthe
standardTdMorder.TheMajorArcanacardshaveuprightandreversed
divinatorymeaningsinthemargins.Theminorarcanacardsare
dividedintoayellowandbluerectangle,withsuitsymbolsinthetopbluesegment,andadditionalsymbolsonthe
bottom.Etteillaisconsideredthefirstmoderntarotreader.Hewasthefirsttousereversals,tolaycardsoutin
spreads,toreadthecardsasacontinuousnarrative,andthefirsttopublishdivinatorymeanings.Heranaschool
ofastrologyandtarotandpublishedthefirstbookonhowtoreadtarot.
AlthoughEtteillaranatarotschool,publishedcorrespondencecourses,andhadaloyalgroupoffollowerswho
continuedhisteachingsafterhisdeath,hisdeckandhisreadingmethodsweretoopersonalandquirkytobecome
popular.Hisschooleventuallydiedoutbuthisteachingsstillhavetremendousinfluence.Hisdivinatorycard
meaningsgreatlyinfluencedtheEnglishoccultistsS.L.MacGregorMathersandA.E.Waite,andtheyunderliethe
meaningsofmanyRiderWaiteSmithcards.Recently,paperbackbooksonhowtoreadwithEtteillasdeckhave
beenpublishedinFrance,sohemaybeexperiencingarevival.
EgyptianTarot
Inhis1870bookTheHistoryofMagic,PaulChristiandescribed78EgyptianTarotcards.
In1896,M.O.WegenerusedthesedescriptionstoillustrateabookonhermetictarotbyR.
Falconnier.ThisseminalEgyptiandeckisstillpublishedastheEgyptianTarotbyU.S.
GamesSystemsInc.The1901bookPracticalAstrologybyComtedeSt.Germainplagiarized
ChristianandFalconnierandservedasthemodelforC.Z.ZainsChurchofLightdeckand
A.G.MuellersEgyptianTarotdeck.Wegenersdesignsalsoinfluencedthe20thcentury
KnappHalldeck,theBrotherhoodofLightdeck,andtheIbisdeckwhichisacolored
versionofWegenersdesigns.In1865,theprofessionalcardreaderEdmondBillaudotdrew
anEgyptianizedTdMinpenandinkbasedonPaulChristianswritings.ItscurrentlypublishedbyGrimaudasLe
GrandTarotBelline.OccultistslikeOswaldWirthandA.E.WaiteaddedEgyptiantouchestotheirdecksto
acknowledgeTarotsperceivedEgyptianorigin.
EliphasLevi:CabalaBasedTarot
EliphasLeviwroteoneofthemostinfluentialtreatisesinthehistoryofwestern
occultism,DogmaandRitualofTranscendentalMagic,publishedin1856.Levissynthesis
ofceremonialmagic,alchemy,CabalaandTarot,basedonthe16thcenturyChristian
CabalaofAthanasiusKircher,becamethenewparadigmforEuropeanesotericandmagical
teachings.LeviassociatedeachTarottrumpwithaletteroftheHebrewalphabetandplaced
all78cardsontheTreeofLife.HisteachingthatthefourHebrewlettersofGodsnameare
supremewordsofpowerwasusedagenerationlaterbyPapusasthebasisforacomplete
systemofTarotcorrespondences.WhenLevisideasmigratedacrosstheEnglishChannel

theywereadoptedwithmodificationsbytheGoldenDawnandbecamethebedrockofesoterictarotintheEnglish
speakingworld.LevisHebrewlettercorrespondencescanbeseenonmanycontemporarydeckssuchasthe
KnappHall,OswaldWirth,UniversalDali,andTarotoftheAges.
Leviscarddescriptions,whichheclaimedrestoredTarottoitsoriginalEgyptianpurity,had
tremendousinfluenceontheevolutionofTarot.A.E.Waiteincorporatedmanyofthese
EgyptianflourishesintotheRiderWaitedeck:theEmpresswithherfeetrestingona
crescentmoonandthesymbolforVenusonthecardthefoursuitsymbolsontheJugglers
tablesphinxespullingtheChariottheHighPriestesswearingthehornsofIsisonher
headthesquareandtriangleontheTemperancecardandtheDevilasBaphomet.
OswaldWirth
OswaldWirth(18601943)whowasbornatthetimeLeviwaswriting
hismagicaltreatises,systematizedLevisdenseandconfusing
writingsonTarot.In1899hedesignedadeckbasedonLeviscard
descritionsundertheguidanceofocultistStanislausdeGuaita.
In1927,WirthpublishedLeTarotdesImagiersduMoyenAge(Tarot
ofMedievalArtists)hiscompendiumofoccultandcabalistictarot
illustratedwithaslightlyredesigneddeck.A1966editionofthebookbyTchouEditeurhasasetof22cards
enclosedinanenvelopeattachedtotheinsidebackcover.Thesecardswereclumsilyredrawnandrecoloredand
unfortunatelyhavebeenthebasisforallsubsequentversionsofthedeck.Wirthswritingsarestillthebedrockof
Europeantarotstudiesandhisinfluenceispervasive.
WhenanEnglishoccultistvisitedEliphasLeviinParisin1861,theresultwasarevolutioninEnglishoccultism
thatledtothecreationofthemostinfluentialtarotdeckofthe20thcentury.
OnthenextpagewelllearnhowTarotcrossedtheEnglishChannel.