Etteilla & Kabbalah

kwaw

According to Christine Payne-Towler, Etteilla used/popularised an AstroAlphaNumeric (AAN) system she calls the 'Old Alexandrian'* as follows:

Alef – Air - I
Beth – Moon - II
Gimel – Venus - III
Dalet – Jupiter - IV
He – Aries - V
Vav – Taurus - VI
Zayin – Gemini - VII
Het – Cancer - VIII
Tet – Leo - IX
Yod – Virgo - X
Kaf – Mars - XI
Lamed – Libra - XII
Mem – Water - XIII
Nun – Scorpio - XIV
Samekh – Sagittarius - XV
Ayin – Capricorn - XVI
Pe – Mercury - XVII
Tzadi – Aquarius - XVIII
Qof - Pisces - XIX
Resh – Saturn - XX
Shin – Fire - XXI
Tav – Sun – XXII/0

While I have explored her site, I cannot find any specifics on which this claim is based. If correct then it requires some revision of the occult history of Tarot. Does anyone know of Etteilla's use of cabalah (and his 'popularisation' of this AAN scheme in particular)? Or have a link to where Christine provides more details?

Kwaw
See Christine's AAN Chart here:
http://noreah.typepad.com/arkletter_images/tarot.AANchart.jpg
 

Richard

Don't rule out the possibility that Christine may not be beyond claiming that the AAN system was revealed by Etteilla only within the secret confines of the astroalphanumerically high degrees of Continental Freemasonry.
 

Ross G Caldwell

The chart at the back of Wirth's Le Tarot des imagiers du Moyen Age (the French edition; I can't find it in the most recent Weiser reprint) begins with Etteilla's correspondences, which match Christine's except that it omits the three elements (those spaces are simply left blank in Wirth's list).
 

kwaw

The chart at the back of Wirth's Le Tarot des imagiers du Moyen Age (the French edition; I can't find it in the most recent Weiser reprint) begins with Etteilla's correspondences, which match Christine's except that it omits the three elements (those spaces are simply left blank in Wirth's list).

Are they Etteilla's, or Papus's (or anothers) interpolation/addendum? - where does Etteilla give them? Does what we know of Etteilla's system demonstrably support his use of such a scheme? (MikeH? Cerulean?)*

kwaw
* Our resident experts on Etteilla and variants.
 

Ross G Caldwell

Are they Etteilla's, or Papus's (or anothers) interpolation? - where does Etteilla give them?

I don't know, Steve. That was the only place where I remember seeing them before. I'm not terribly familiar with Etteilla or his followers. I imagine Mike Howard might have an answer - he's read all the Cahiers.
 

Zephyros

Don't rule out the possibility that Christine may not be beyond claiming that the AAN system was revealed by Etteilla only within the secret confines of the astroalphanumerically high degrees of Continental Freemasonry.

Do I detect just the slightest hint of sarcasm? ;)

In any case, has her companion book for the Holy Light finally come out yet? I would love to get her deck, but being so used to pepsi-cola GD attributions, the lack of a book is the only factor keeping me from buying it. I have no doubt it would explain much.
 

GnosticTarotCards

Currently I’m working on the editing of her Ark Letters and compiling the information for E-Book formats, the Tarot of The Holy Light companion is indeed going to be out by Summer, or so I’ve been told. Christine has run into a few problems , or challenges with getting it finished, mainly due to the fact that she has been ill and has experienced a few difficulties in sitting at the computer for long durations. The book is coming though

Consequently you can view the book on the I-Tunes app. Its included as a html file for the pictures.. I just changed the name of the app to 'zip' file and went to resources where you get full color pictures and the book all for 3 dollars or so. Good in the interim when we are waiting for the book to arrive.
 

GnosticTarotCards

The chart at the back of Wirth's Le Tarot des imagiers du Moyen Age (the French edition; I can't find it in the most recent Weiser reprint) begins with Etteilla's correspondences, which match Christine's except that it omits the three elements (those spaces are simply left blank in Wirth's list).

Yep, the only change between the Gra and the other traditions ie, Old Alexandrian, - Hermetic Etteilla, Falconnier and Continential Tarot like Levi, Wirth and Papus is the different attributions of sun and jupiter. Those two cards change, its not until we get to the Marseilles that things start changing drastically. As you can see with Kwaw's link up top the English variants make some changes too
 

kwaw

Thanks GTC - is the information there in the currently available (online) ark letters? I have found some general information - but nothing demonstrable.
 

kwaw

As you can see with Kwaw's link up top the English variants make some changes too

I was a bit confused by a few other details in the chart - for instance, Gra c.1800 b.c.? Shouldn't that be Gra 1800 A.D.? And for Crowley's Alef, Mem, shin she gives Uranus, Neptune and Pluto? (instead of air, water, fire).