Your Grand Etteilla Card of the Day
Explore the Grand Etteilla, a 78-card deck from a French tarot tradition. If you already know tarot, some of its names and meanings may surprise you. If you're new, that's fine too. Turn over today's card and I'll explain its background, give everyday examples and suggest a few things you could try.
A tarot with its own story
In the 1780s, a Paris card reader who called himself Etteilla designed his own tarot. He kept 78 cards but rewrote the order and gave almost every card its own title, so a picture you may know from other decks can mean something quite different here.
The deck reads like a book in four parts: a creation story, a set of virtues and life's big forces, four suits of everyday situations (a suit is a family of cards sharing one symbol, here Wands, Cups, Swords or Coins), and one last card on its own. Here is what each part is about, with real cards from a Paris printing of the 1870s.
- Cards 1 to 8
The creation story
The deck opens with the world being made, one stage per card: Chaos, Light, the Plants, the Sky, Man and the Animals, the Stars, Birds and Fish, and finally Rest. In a reading each stage becomes an everyday theme. Light (2) is about something becoming clear, the Plants (3) about conversation, the Stars (6) about night and slowing down.
Cards 1 and 8 also stand for the person the reading is for. When several cards are laid out together, they mark where you stand among them. As a daily card, drawing one puts the focus back on you and what you want.
- 1. Chaosthe questioner
- 2. Lightclarification
- 8. Restrest
2. Light For exampleImagine you are comparing two job offers but the working hours are unclear. I use Light (2) to explore what you understand and what still needs explaining. Write down the missing details, such as weekend work or travel, and ask each employer the same questions. That gives you information you can actually compare rather than choosing on a first impression.
- Cards 9 to 21
Virtues and life's big forces
Next come thirteen picture cards. Some are virtues you could aim for, such as Justice (9), Temperance (10), Strength (11) and Prudence (12). Others are forces you meet rather than choose, such as the Devil (14), Death (17) and the Wheel of Fortune (20).
Several share a picture with a familiar tarot trump but not its meaning. The Magician (15) carries the French title La Maladie, illness, so this tool reads it as a prompt about rest and care, never as a diagnosis.
- 9. Justicefairness
- 12. Prudencecaution
- 20. The Wheel of Fortunefortune
12. Prudence For exampleSuppose a colleague sends an email that sounds critical and you want to reply immediately. Prudence (12) is about taking care before acting, so I would use it to review what the message actually says. Check whether you are responding to a stated concern or assuming a hostile tone. Draft a reply that asks for clarification, then reread it before sending.
- Cards 22 to 77
Four suits of everyday life
Most of the deck is made of four suits, 14 cards each: Wands, Cups, Swords and Coins. Each suit runs King, Queen, Knight, Jack, then ten down to Ace. Every card has its own title, so read the title rather than guessing from the suit or the number.
The court cards often describe a kind of person. The four Kings shown here are the Countryman, the Fair-haired Man, the Man of the Law and the Dark-haired Man.
- 22. King of Wandspractical man
- 36. King of Cupskindness
- 50. King of Swordsexpertise
- 64. King of Coinsdetermination
- Wands
- Outing (28), Discussion (29), Undertakings (33): plans, talks and getting out of the house.
- Cups
- Thought (43), the Past (44), Love (48), the Table (49): feelings, memories and time with people.
- Swords
- Hope (57), the Road (58), Friendship (62): advice, distance and the people who stand by you.
- Coins
- Usefulness (66), Money (71), a Gift (74): work, resources and what comes back to you.
29. Seven of Wands For exampleDiscussion (29) can help you think about a conversation that needs a clearer purpose. Imagine you and a housemate keep disagreeing about cleaning. Instead of opening with a general complaint, name the task causing difficulty and suggest a time to agree who will do it. I connect the card's title with preparing a useful conversation, not with predicting an argument.
- Card 78
Folly, the card on its own
The deck closes with Folly, which belongs to no suit. Its themes are recklessness, the unpredictable and losing the thread. As a daily card it asks you to slow down and check your footing. It is not a warning that something bad will happen.
- 78. Follyrecklessness
78. Folly For exampleImagine friends invite you on a last-minute trip and you feel pressured to decide immediately. I use Folly (78) to explore the difference between enjoying spontaneity and overlooking a commitment. Check the cost, your existing plans and any cancellation terms before saying yes. You can still choose the trip, but with a better understanding of what you are agreeing to.
How to use today's Etteilla card
- Read the name and its French meaning
Each reading includes an English name and the French wording from this historical deck. I explain both, because a familiar picture can have a different meaning in Etteilla. The scans here come from a Paris printing made between 1875 and 1880.
For exampleThe Magician (15) carries the French words La Maladie, meaning illness. That printed title differs from the meaning many other tarot decks give this picture. If your diary is already overcrowded, I use it to discuss rest and practical care: could you keep a lunch break free or ask someone to share a task? The title is historical wording, not evidence that you are ill.
Try thisConsider where you could make room for rest, such as taking a full lunch break or asking someone to help with a task.
- Find one moment it fits
Rather than looking for the card everywhere, pick one situation today where its keyword clearly applies. One good match teaches you more than ten loose ones.
For exampleImagine Prudence (12) appears when you have been asked to take on an extra project. You want to be helpful, but you have not checked your existing deadlines. Its theme of careful consideration gives you a useful question: what would need to move if you said yes? Review your calendar and discuss a realistic deadline before making the commitment.
Try thisWrite the reply, then wait ten minutes and reread it before you press send.
- Do one small thing
Every reading on this page ends with a few practical ideas. Choose the one that suits your day and do it before evening, so the card becomes something you lived rather than something you read.
For exampleOuting (28) is about leaving your usual setting. If you have spent the morning returning to the same unfinished task, you could take your lunch outside or walk to a nearby park. The connection is a deliberate change of surroundings, not a prediction of travel. When you return, notice whether the break helped and choose one manageable part of the task to finish.
Try thisTake twenty minutes outside, on a street or path you don't usually use, and notice how you feel afterwards.
Upright and reversed: Etteilla cards were printed with a second meaning for when a card lands upside down. This daily tool reads the card upright and mentions the reversed sense only when it helps.
All 78 cards, section by section, and edition notesEvery card in deck order, grouped into its sections, with a link to every card guide, and notes on the edition I use.
Creation
8 cardsCards 1 to 8Virtues and allegories
13 cardsCards 9 to 21Wands
14 cardsCards 22 to 35Cups
14 cardsCards 36 to 49Swords
14 cardsCards 50 to 63Coins
14 cardsCards 64 to 77Folly
1 cardCard 78
Which Grand Etteilla you are drawing from
Deck followed: Grimaud "Grand Etteilla ou Tarots Égyptiens", 78 cards numbered 1 to 78.
1. Chaos, the Querent Grimaud's Grand Etteilla, numbered 1 to 78
Etteilla was the pen name of Jean-Baptiste Alliette, a Paris card reader of the 1780s. Several decks carry his name, and their numbering differs. This tool follows the version sold by Grimaud, a French playing-card maker, as the "Grand Etteilla ou Tarots Égyptiens", numbered 1 to 78: eight creation cards, thirteen virtues and allegories, then Wands, Cups, Swords and Coins, each running King, Queen, Knight, Jack and then ten down to Ace, ending with Folly at 78. The card pictures are from a complete Grimaud printing made in Paris between 1875 and 1880 and held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
8. Rest, the Querent Two cards for the person asking
Cards 1 and 8 traditionally stand for the person asking the question: card 1 if that's a man, card 8 if a woman. Most cards have French words printed for two orientations: the picture the right way up, called upright, and upside down, called reversed. Today's reading starts with the upright meaning. Where I discuss the reversed meaning, I explain how it changes the interpretation.
15. The Magician Not the Waite-Smith tarot
Etteilla is not the same system as the Waite-Smith tarot, the 1909 English deck most people picture when they think of tarot and the one used in the daily tarot card tool, so names such as the Magician or the Devil carry different keywords here.
- This edition contains 78 cards in a particular order. Cards 1 to 8 depict ideas about the creation of the world. Cards 9 to 21 show qualities and symbolic scenes; an allegory is a picture used to express an idea. Those group names help organise the deck, and each card's guide explains its own picture and meaning.
- The final card, number 78, is called Folly and sits outside the four numbered families. Its separate position is part of this edition's order, so the illustrated list gives it its own section.
- Cards 22 to 77 belong to four families, called suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Coins. Each family has 14 cards. In this edition the order runs King, Queen, Knight and Jack, followed by Ten down to Ace. Knowing that order helps you find a card, but you do not need to memorise it: the illustrated list above links directly to every guide.
- Most cards have words printed for both ways up. Upright means the card is facing its usual way; reversed means it has landed upside down. The two printed meanings can differ, so I explain them separately in the full guides. On this daily page I begin with the upright meaning and mention the other meaning when it helps.
- If you already know another tarot deck, give yourself time to get familiar with this one. A familiar-looking picture or name can carry a different meaning in the Grand Etteilla. I use the French words printed on this edition and explain them in English, rather than assuming another deck's interpretation applies.
Inventory sources
- Wikimedia Commons, BnF Grimaud Grand Etteilla (Gallica btv1b105431857, 1875 to 1880), complete 78-card deck, public domain (card images)
- France Cartes Grand Etteilla instruction booklet (78 cards numbered 1-78)
- Kartomanta, Grand Etteilla index of all 78 cards
- Tarot Heritage, Etteilla and his decks (history)
A card of the day from every deck
Each deck has its own daily card. Here's how the others differ, in a sentence or two.
- Waite-Smith deck, 78 cards
Tarot
The tarot most people picture. I like it when you want a rich scene with plenty of symbols to think about.
Draw today's tarot card - French oracle, 53 cards
Oracle Belline
Most Belline cards belong to a planetary group. I explain the picture and its group through examples about relationships, decisions and change.
Draw today's Belline card - Everyday pictures, 36 cards
Lenormand
Simple pictures like a house, a letter or a ship. If you're new to cards, this is the easiest place I know to start.
Draw today's Lenormand card
Image credits
Tarot: The Star, Rider-Waite-Smith tarot illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, 1909. Public domain.
Oracle Belline: Oracle Belline, current Grimaud-pattern edition (53 cards), as photographed by Oracle Belline. Oracle Belline (oracle-de-belline.com). Held by Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Cropped from the 53-card composite to a single card and converted to WebP. No other changes. Oracle-belline-cartes.jpg
Mlle Lenormand: Das Spiel der Hofnung (The Game of Hope), Johann Kaspar Hechtel, Nuremberg, 1799. Johann Kaspar Hechtel. Held by British Museum, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain. Cropped from the 36-card sheet to a single card, resized and converted to WebP. No other changes. Das Spiel der Hofnung (The Game of Hope).png
Ask me about your own situation
Everyone visiting this page sees the same daily card. When you book a personal reading, you tell me what you would like help exploring—for example, a change at work, a relationship or your approach to money. I draw cards for your question and email you a written explanation, with practical suggestions to consider.
3-Card Tarot Reading
Send me one question, such as how to approach a job change or a difficult conversation. I draw three cards and explain in writing how I read them in relation to your situation.
See this reading
Full Life Reading
I use ten cards in a layout called the Celtic Cross, where each position explores a different part of your situation. This helps you consider connected questions about love, work and money rather than treating each one separately.
See this reading
Money Tarot Reading
I use three cards to help you examine your spending habits, financial priorities and the pressures behind a decision. For example, we can explore what makes saving difficult or how to approach a large purchase.
See this readingYour questions, answered
Why does the Magician mean something different here?
Is the card the same for everyone?
Do I need an account or to share anything?
Try the other free tools
Use your birth date to calculate a Life Path number and explore its themes
Reflect on one card for everyone, every day
One shared card a day from the 53-card Oracle Belline
One shared card a day from the 36-card Petit Lenormand
Compare two signs across love, communication, and long-term patterns
See where your calculated planetary lines cross the world
Ask me about your own question
If you would like a reading about your own circumstances, tell me what is happening and what you are trying to decide. You might be considering a job with different hours or preparing to talk to a friend about a disagreement. In my 3-Card Tarot Reading, I draw three cards for that question and write an explanation of each, relating the meanings to the details you share. I email the reading to you with questions and practical suggestions to consider.
- Three cards laid for the situation you describe, with what each one suggests
- How the three cards connect, and practical ideas to consider
- Your written reading by email within 48 hours, plus one free follow-up question
Read the transcript
Interviewer: How do you view your relationship with your clients?
Kate: I treat every client like a dear friend I love and care for, and I want to help light up your path with my whole heart and full devotion.
A reading is reflection to help you think things through, not a guaranteed forecast.
Image credits
Edition: Le grand Etteilla, ou tarot égyptien, B.-P. Grimaud, Paris, 1875 to 1880
Author or publisher: B.-P. Grimaud (publisher)
Held by: Bibliothèque nationale de France (Gallica btv1b105431857), via Wikimedia Commons
Licence: Public domain
Changes: Shown unaltered at Wikimedia's 500px thumbnail size.
Turn over today's card to see the source file for that card.