JenniferS Posted December 23, 2018 Posted December 23, 2018 Hi there, My name is Jennifer, I am new to the whole world of tarot and I could really do with some help and advice... When my beloved and spiritual grandmother passed away I acquired her deck of tarot cards, Grimaud, Grand Etteilla. From my research I understand that this tarot deck is a particularly older style and does not always fit into the meanings and interpretations of general tarot. Now as I have a connection to these cards through being passed them from a family member I am keen to learn them however I cannot seem to find a lot of in depth information about them other than the general meanings of each card and as it seems they should be treated and interpreted slightly differently to standard tarot so I am wondering if I should perhaps start with a new deck of more conventional tarot cards. Any advice on what I should do would be much appreciated. I’ve felt so drawn to the cards lately and I am aware of my underlying intuitive ability. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope someone can reach out and help! Oh and Have a wonderful Christmas too! Best Jennifer
Starlight Posted December 23, 2018 Posted December 23, 2018 Hi JenniferS[/member] , there is one site I know of belonging to a Lisa Boswell and she has a section on the Grand Etteila - https://divinationandfortunetelling.com/articles/2017/4/29/etteilla-tarot-reading-tips. You could check out the site and see if that leads you to the information you need to start reading with such a treasured deck. She does offer a free ebook with the cards meanings, and perhaps if you reach out to her, she might be able to point you in the direction of a few other resources. I can't really advise you on whether or not to start with a different system of Tarot, especially as you say you are new to Tarot. I've been reading the RWS since I bought my first deck nearly 20 years ago, and I'm still learning! I don't think we're ever really "done" with learning Tarot; we just get more comfortable with it. :) So, changing to another system will still still take time to learn, and as it's the Grand Etteila that you have, maybe working with that deck first makes more sense? Anyway, welcome to the TT&M forum and hopefully someone else will be able to weigh in with some more advice. :)
Metafizzypop Posted December 23, 2018 Posted December 23, 2018 You're right about Etteilla decks using different meanings than the RWS decks. It's a system meant specifically to be predictive. How you handle things depends on what you want out of tarot. It's worth knowing the RWS system just because it's the most common. But since you already have an Etteilla deck, you might as well learn that. If there's a LWB with the deck, that'll give you a start. Aside from that, the site that Starlight mentioned is pretty good. The deck used on that site won't look like yours, because there's a few different Etteilla decks published. But it won't make a difference with the meanings. I like Etteilla decks because they are so very different from what's usually around. The Majors are really different. Etteilla was French, and most of the available info about his deck is in French. But he got the meanings for the cards from three little old ladies in the Piedmont section of Italy. At least he gives credit where credit is due.
AJ-ish/Sharyn Posted December 23, 2018 Posted December 23, 2018 welcome Jennifer! I love my Etteilla because I don't do predictive reading, and predictive reading is what Etellia is all about :) You will meet a tall dark stranger... I've never bothered to go beyond the little companion book, it is enough fun for me. You have a treasure in your grandmother's deck, and welcome to the forum, Sharyn
Metafizzypop Posted December 24, 2018 Posted December 24, 2018 welcome Jennifer! I love my Etteilla because I don't do predictive reading, and predictive reading is what Etellia is all about :) You will meet a tall dark stranger... Uh...I'm a little confused by this. If you don't mind my asking, if you don't do predictive readings then why would you love a deck that specializes in predictive readings? ???
Saturn Celeste Posted December 24, 2018 Posted December 24, 2018 From my research I understand that this tarot deck is a particularly older style and does not always fit into the meanings and interpretations of general tarot. Now as I have a connection to these cards through being passed them from a family member I am keen to learn them however I cannot seem to find a lot of in depth information about them other than the general meanings of each card and as it seems they should be treated and interpreted slightly differently to standard tarot so I am wondering if I should perhaps start with a new deck of more conventional tarot cards. Any advice on what I should do would be much appreciated. I’ve felt so drawn to the cards lately and I am aware of my underlying intuitive ability. Hi Jennifer! Welcome to TT&M. And a Merry Christmas to you and yours also. 🌟 You asked for some advice. If you want to learn to read with your new decks I recommend using the Grimaud. It is a Marseilles style deck. What that means is your minor arcana cards are not illustrated with pictures, instead they use symbols of the suits. The Etteilla is a little different because the major arcana names are different from the current cards. I actually learned how to read tarot on a Marseilles deck the JJ Swiss deck and love it. The only difference is you won't get the intuitive type images on the cards 1 - 10 so you really should learn the meanings of the cards, which you should do anyway to be a successful reader. Enjoy your gifts! You might want to price them online and see how much they are worth, if my hunch is correct they are worth a lot of money and you might decide to just hang on to them and keep them as your Grandmother had left them. Just a thought. ^-^
AJ-ish/Sharyn Posted December 24, 2018 Posted December 24, 2018 welcome Jennifer! I love my Etteilla because I don't do predictive reading, and predictive reading is what Etellia is all about :) You will meet a tall dark stranger... Uh...I'm a little confused by this. If you don't mind my asking, if you don't do predictive readings then why would you love a deck that specializes in predictive readings? ??? good question! "reading" in the sense we mostly use the cards here is the least of what I use my cards for. I use them on my blog and for deeper thinking but never for will I meet my soul match stuff.
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