Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards

by Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer

Then, without seeing them, twelve pip cards must be taken by the Inquirer from the suit that has been selected, and these must be laid in a circle around those already in place, commencing on the left and working downwards and towards the right. The first card should be next to No. I; the fourth should be under No. IV; the seventh should be opposite to the first one and next to No. III; the tenth should be on the top, above No. II, while the twelfth card falls beside the first one, completing the circle. The Juggler is then supposed to be placed in the middle of the diagram or laid above the circle.

The twelve pip cards indicate the different phases through which the person will pass, or the evolution of the events during the four great periods of life. Commencement is indicated by the Atout in position No. I; apogee, by the Atout in position No. II; decline or obstacle, by the Atout in position No. III, and fall, by the one in position No. IV. Then the three other Atouts indicate the special character of the person; in the past by No. V, in the present by No. VI, in the future by No. VII.

The pip cards should be studied where the future is indicated by the cards in the circle occupying places from seven to twelve, the present by those occupying positions from four to seven, the past by those occupying positions from one to four. (These numbers refer to the positions occupied, and never to the number of the pips on the cards, or to the numbers placed on the Atouts.)

The above is a short and hurried method of consulting the cards, but Etteila had a second one that was used when a whole career was to be revealed, as well as the character, or the influence of education, friends, and family. It also indicated the future position and chief events of life. In short, it was supposed to be a repetition of the scene when a young man, on reaching maturity made a solemn sacrifice in the temple, when the “Tablets of Fate,” that had been inscribed by Nebo, Thoth, or Mercury at his birth, were consulted. In this way their wishes were obtained that should govern his career in life. This ceremony was never repeated, although the orders of the gods were often requested on particular occasions without going through the entire performance or the full consultation that had been made at maturity.

According to Papus, four deals are required for this process of divination, but his methods are unnecessarily complicated, so they may be simplified without altering the results.

Shuffle all the Tarots without making any distinction between the Atout and the pip cards. Let the Inquirer cut them three times, and then cut them in three packets of about equal size. Take the central heap, deal out twenty-six cards, and lay them to the right in a pile. Shuffle those remaining with the rest of the pack, and let them again be cut, and then again cut into three piles. Select the centre and deal seventeen cards, placing them in a pile beside the one containing the twenty-six cards. Shuffle the stock again together, and let them be shuffled and cut as before, taking again the centre packet and dealing eleven cards. Collect the remaining twenty-four cards and put them aside. This is the Widow, or Stock, and these cards represent the events that might have happened in the life of the Inquirer, but were eliminated by luck or chance, and these often prove most interesting.

The first packet, containing the twenty-six cards, represents the soul or the character of the Inquirer, and of those most closely connected with him. The pile containing the seventeen cards represents his mind or the events controlling him. And the pile of eleven cards represents the body, the ills or annoyances of life, or the events to take place, such as the profession to be chosen, the journeys to be taken, with other happenings.

The cards should be spread out on a table, so that they can easily be seen and interpreted according to their value, as given on pages 000-000, the upper row containing the “soul” pile, the second row the “mind” pile, and the third row containing the “body” pile.

“From this system,” says Papus (page 330), “Etteila deduced his subtle arguments upon the creation of the universe, the Kabbalah, and the Philosopher’s stone.” If any person can emulate him in these deductions, they must be “wise in their generation,” and must have established direct communication with the great god Nebo himself, the “writer of the Tablets of Fate.”

For the second deal, the whole pack of seventy-eight cards must be shuffled and cut three times. Deal seventeen cards, laying them on the table face up. Then take the eighteenth card and the seventy-eighth card that should be on the bottom of the pack, and “the meaning of these two cards,” says Papus, “will tell you whether any fluidic sympathetic communication is established between the Initiate and the Inquirer.” Then the seventeen cards laid out can be deciphered and disclosed.