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From Ancient Egypt to France: How did Etheria connect Tarot and Astrology?
In late 18th century France, behind the pseudonym Etteilla was a mystic and tarot researcher named Jean-Baptiste Alliette. Not only was he the first to develop the concept of tarot interpretation, he also made a living from divination, providing a profound influence on later French fortune-tellers such as Marie Anne Lenormand. Since 1783, Etra's writings have breathed new life into the Tarot and established its place in the mystical tradition.
The Manière de se récréer à vec le jeu de cartes nommées tarots, published by Etra, is not only regarded as a standard reference work on tarot divination, but also the first systematic exposition of the divination method. .
Etra's argument is not just about the Tarot cards themselves, but also about astrology's connection to the classical four elements (fire, earth, air, and water) and the four humors. His ideas were further developed in 1789 when he launched his own Tarot deck. The structure and card design of this set of Tarot decks were different from the traditional Marseille Tarot deck, which shocked the occult community at the time. Feeling shocked.
Aethra's life background
Although little is recorded of Ethel's early life, his birth certificate states that he was born in Paris in 1738. His father is a restaurant owner and his mother runs a seed business. In 1763, he married Jean Wattier, but the marriage lasted only five years before he turned his attention to the publication of his divination books and writings. In 1783, his book officially brought card divination to an unprecedented height.
For the interpretation of the cards, Etra strictly defined the meaning of each card when it is upright and inverted. This system is still one of the cornerstones of Tarot divination.
In 1781, the French-Swiss priest and mystic Antoine Court de Gébelin published a book that attracted widespread attention, proposing that the Tarot was actually an ancient Egyptian Book of Mysteries. Although there was no evidence of a direct connection between Tarot and Egypt, Etra was inspired by this theory and began to explore the connection between Tarot and astrology in depth, and published "Reinvention of the Self" in 1783. This book became the first systematic book on Tarot divination methods.
Etra's main contributions
In 1788, Etra founded the Société des Interprètes du Livre de Thot (Society of Interpreters of the Book of Thot), a multinational collaboration aimed at promoting his view of the Tarot. Later, in 1789, he released a Tarot deck designed specifically for divination purposes, combining his ideas with the traditional French card divination method, making it the first deck designed specifically for occult purposes.
Etra's influence did not stop there. In 1790, he founded the "New Magic School" (Nouvelle Ecole de Magie) to encourage people to further explore the mysteries of divination and the occult.
In his work, A Course in Theory and Practice of the Book of Thoth, he taught what became known as the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana, as well as the introduction of The concepts of the four elements and astrology laid the foundation for the evolution of Tarot cards.
Etra's publications
Aetara wrote numerous books and publications during his lifetime, and these works and his innovative framework were crucial to later esoteric studies. His major works include the following:
- Ethra, or the Reinvention of the Self, Using the Tarot Cards (1770)
- The Mystical Zodiac, or the Oracle of Aethra (1772)
- A Course in Theory and Practice of the Book of Thoth (1790)
- The Tarot Game for the Interpretation of Dreams, Predictions, and Wishes (1788)
These publications reveal his in-depth exploration of divinatory techniques and their integration with astronomy and psychology.
In modern times, Etra's influence continues, and the combination of Tarot cards and astrology has enabled many fortune tellers to find a deeper path of exploration. Just imagine, when we use Tarot cards for divination today, can we discover other untapped wisdom?
