How I started comparing Etteilla with my other decks
So last Wednesday, I dug out my dusty Etteilla deck from the bottom shelf. Haven’t touched it since that flea market find two years back. Pulled my regular Rider-Waite and Marseille decks too – figured I’d test all three doing identical readings for my cousin’s job dilemma.
Setting up the experiment
First I cleared my desk totally – no crystals, no incense, just bare wood. Did three separate Celtic Cross spreads with each deck back-to-back. Wrote down every single gut reaction immediately after flipping cards. Made myself use only the little guidebooks that came with each deck, no cheating with my tarot apps.
What actually happened during readings
Rider-Waite: Boom! Instant recognition. The imagery just clicked like always. That Three of Swords screamed “toxic workplace” even before checking meanings.
Marseille: Got stuck on those pip cards for ages. Had to keep flipping through the booklet like “Wait, is this Cups or Coins?”. Felt like doing math homework.
Etteilla: Total head-scratcher. The “House of God” card showed an actual collapsing building? My cousin thought it meant literal property damage! We spent 20 minutes arguing about metaphorical vs literal meanings.
The messy conclusion
Honestly? They all sucked differently:
- Rider-Waite gave the clearest answer but felt almost too familiar
- Marseille was brutal for quick readings unless you’re a medieval scholar
- Etteilla’s weird symbolism required constant booklet-peeking
My takeaway? Your best deck is whichever lets you forget you’re holding cards. For me that’s still Rider-Waite 90% of the time. But now I’m keeping Etteilla around for clients who want “old-school vibes” – just charge extra for the extra booklet-flipping time!
