Egyptian Tarot Reading – Free Egyptian Reading

The esoteric worlds of fortune-telling have their roots in the mists of time. They are believed to have been practised for many millennia and their sources, still quite mysterious today, are thought to come from ancient Egypt. It was indeed in the era of the pharaohs and the building of the pyramids that their very first traces are found.

While the divinatory arts are therefore originally from Egypt, the same cannot be said of cartomancy or even tarot reading. And the famous Egyptian tarot is Egyptian only in its substance and form, since it is in fact originally from France.

Contrary to popular belief, the divinatory art of predicting one’s future for a subject through cards does not come from Egypt at all, but rather from 15^th-century Europe. It was the nomadic Romani gypsies who introduced it after importing playing cards from the Arabian peninsulas to Europe.

On the other hand, everything that makes up the foundations of all the practices of fortune-telling would indeed originate from ancient Egypt.

It is indeed in the kingdom of the Nile that we find the foundations of esotericism, astrology and numerology. And the many mysteries surrounding the practices of the men of science of ancestral Egypt would be the beginnings of what would later be called alchemy.

It was in the mid-16^th century that the first tarot deck was created, somewhat shaking up the world of cartomancy. With its cards influenced by the kabbalistic and esotericism, depicting strong characters and subjective figures relating to human behaviour, the tarot deck is indeed more than ideal for predicting the future to a querent, and the many fortune-tellers were quick to adopt it.

Especially since the most complete tarot deck, called the Tarot of Marseille, was very quickly brought to market. With its 78 cards, including 22 major arcana, with highly symbolic imagery and meanings, it is perfect for a divinatory tarot reading. From then on it would be the most used deck, and it still is today, all around the world.

The unexpected popular success of the Tarot of Marseille then inspired imitators and, soon, many other tarot decks or Oracles came into being. While they were all freely inspired by the Tarot of Marseille, each had its own particularities.

Thus, the Belline Oracle would be greatly influenced by the planets of our solar system and astrology.

The little Lenormand tarot, by a mysticism particular to the values of the Christian religion.

The English Rider-Waite tarot, by the archangels and other guardian angels who can take great care of us.

But one of the most intriguing and mysterious, owing to its strong spiritual and esoteric dose, was the Egyptian tarot.

While old legends held that it was born in Egypt several decades earlier, it was in fact in France that it was conceived a little before the French Revolution by a certain medium and astrologer by the name of Etteilla.

He carried out its design thanks to his deep knowledge of Egyptian mythologies and through his attraction to the divinatory art of tarot reading. He marketed it under the name « Grand Etteilla », but it is better known in its version as « Egyptian tarot ».

It was at the beginning of the 20^th century that the famous occultist and tarot reader Aleister Crowley would bring Etteilla’s Egyptian tarot back into fashion. Passionate about divinatory cards and ancient Egypt and a renowned writer, the man then nicknamed « the wickedest man in the world » would therefore turn his attention to this tarot deck to make it his own and create his own version, which he would name « the Book of Thoth ».

In addition to this tarot deck heavily influenced by occult forces, the notions of alchemy, freemasonry and the kabbalistic, the author published a complete work in which he revealed all the mysterious secrets of this « Book of Thoth ».

At the end of the 20^th century, an Italian artist passionate about tarot reading named Silvana Alasia would also make Etteilla’s Egyptian tarot her own, to design a version far less occult than Crowley’s.

Indeed, she set aside the writer’s overly dark and mysterious visions to focus solely on the mystical side of ancient Egypt when she drew her sketches. The result of her work is a sumptuous tarot deck, in the direct lineage of the original designed by Etteilla, which incidentally is also called « Egyptian tarot ».

While today there are therefore several versions of the Egyptian tarots, the most recent of which comprise 78 cards, the original version designed by Etteilla has only 25. They all depict very famous figures of the Egypt of the pharaohs and many Gods or Goddesses making up Egyptian mythology.

They inevitably carry strong symbolism when used in a divinatory reading. There are 7 so-called positive cards, 7 so-called negative cards, 7 cards that are neutral and which can therefore be influenced by the favourable or unfavourable nature of the preceding ones, and 4 cards embodying the querent’s destiny when drawn during a divinatory reading.

Each of these cards has its own name, its singular meaning and its own number:

•  1- Osiris. This is a positive card that heralds either encounters in the realm of love or new projects on the work side.
• 2- Isis. This is a positive card that heralds a birth or else fatigue regarding health.
• 3- Nefertiti. This is a neutral card that may herald a coming conflict.
• 4- Akhenaten. It is neutral and heralds a good investment or a new friendly encounter.
• 5- Thoth. This is a neutral card that speaks to us of financial transactions.
• 6- Bastet. This is a positive card that describes joy and harmony.
• 7- Pyramid. A destiny card embodying material transformations to come.
• 8- Papyrus. This is a neutral card that symbolises communication.
• 9- Obelisk. This is a neutral card that describes strength and courage.
• 10- Scarab. This is a neutral card that speaks to us of trust.
• 11- Sekhmet. It is negative and heralds anger.
• 12- Barque. It is negative and embodies the notions of judgement.
• 13- Anubis. This is a negative card that heralds coming pain.
• 14- Nile. It is positive and speaks to us of benefits.
• 15- Min. It is negative and heralds betrayals.
• 16- Seth. It is negative and symbolises jealousy.
• 17- Hathor. It is positive and embodies happiness.
• 18- Lotus. This is a neutral card that may symbolise weaknesses.
• 19- Ra. A destiny card that heralds the realisation of a project.
• 20- Imhotep. It is neutral and speaks of material gains.
• 21- Sphinx. A destiny card that speaks of spirituality.
• 22- Bes. It is negative and heralds adultery.
• 23- Mirror. It is negative and heralds worries.
• 24- Horus. It is positive and speaks of loyalty.
• 25- Cross of life. A destiny card that heralds the fulfilment of a life.

Meaning of the 25 cards of the Egyptian Tarot