From my summary of Decker on the derivation of Etteilla from Gikatilla, I left out something I want to comment on. Decker says that branches, i.e. wands, represent duty and work in Gikatilla (corresponding to "material challenges" in Etteilla); vessels are blessings ("spiritual blessings" in Etteilla); swords are affliction ("spiritual challenges" in Etteilla); and coins are blessings ("material blessings" in Etteilla). Is this true?
Using my searchable version of
Gates of Light I looked at every occurrence there of "branch". Gikatilla speaks of the sefiroth as branches on a tree. He speaks of a palm branch that is waved in a ritual. He speaks of someone being so angry he uproots a tree, roots, branches, and all. I do not see duty and work. For "vessel" Gikatilla speaks of a Babylonian priest pours the contents of vessels into the mouth of an idol. Gikatilla also speaks of "sacred vessels" and "vessels for every kind of use". For "cup", God gives a cup of consolation and also one of poison, i.e. not just blessings but punishments. I did not find "coin". Yes, swords are affliction. But in general Decker's correspondences don't amount to much.
Now I want to see if anything can be salvaged from Decker's herculean attempt to correlate Etteilla's keywords with a Cabalist source. I have myself done something similar to what Decker imagines some reader of
Gates of Light having done; that is, I once took notes on the main points of each chapter in the form of key words, to see if I could find any correspondences to trump cards (on the side at
http://latinsefiroth.blogspot.com/searc ... results=13). I used the same English translation that Decker used and also the Latin edition of 1515; even though I don't know Latin, there is enough similarity to English and what I can look up to find corresponding phrases. Gikatilla himself seems to encourage such notes, or so it appears in the Latin version, in which key words are presented in Hebrew as well as Latin and capitalized.
Below, I have first put Decker's characterization of Gikatilla. Then I put a summary of my notes on Gikatilla (see the chapter headings at the side on my blog . Then come the actual Etteilla keywords, taken from the 3rd Cahier and Etteilla's first cards; sometimes they are different, in which case I put both, separated by the sign //.
Malkuth: Decker has "community (place and governance), kingdom". My notes have: kingdom; rich when Israel is righteous, or meager when not; expelled and returned; sphere that governs all creatures, gives life and death, bequeaths and enriches, brings low and exalts, makes sick and heals; tabernacle. merciful judgment; well; container.
.....Swords.........Batons
10 Pleurs (Tears)/Avantage//Evènement fâcheux, qui tournera à profit (Unfortunate event that turns to advantage)........Trahison (Betrayal)/Barres (Bars)//Obstacle
.....Cups....................................................................................Coins
La ville où l’on est/Pret à perdre (Prepared to lose)//Courroux (Anger).....La maison (House)/Loterie
Conclusion: it is possible to relate all of these to Malkuth. as the ups and downs of Israel. "Ville" and "House" relate to Decker's "community".
Yesod: Decker has "individuality (self and circumstances); foundation". My notes: foundation, covenant, circumcision, links Malkuth with upper sefiroth, redeeming angel, righteous one, giving justice or care which Malkuth receives.
......Swords...........................................................................................Batons
9 Ecclesiastique/Se défier, ou Juste défiance (Be wary, or justifiable wariness)......Retard (Delay)/Traverses (Crossings)//Obstacles
.....Cups...............................Coins
Victoire/Sincérité...................Effet (Appearance)/Duperie (Deception)
Conclusion: I can see "Ecclesiastique" and "crossings/obstacles" but not the rest: 1/4. I do not see "individuality" in Gikatilla.
Hod: Decker has "Place of Counsel; honor". My notes: honor, praise, majesty: carries out decisions from Gevurah, agent of severity. Wages war, destruction, accepts praise, prayers, submission, affords counsel with higher powers; place of prophecy.
......Swords..........................................................................................................Batons
8 Maladie dit de N. (Illness said of N.)//Critique/Trahison passée (Past betrayal)//Incident......Partie de Campagne (Party in the Country)//Campagne (Country, Campaign)/Disputes Intestine (Internecine disputes)
..Cups.........................,,,.........................Coins
Fille blonde (blond girl)/Fêtes, Gaieté.............Fille brune/Usure (Usury)//Plus (More)
Conclusion: about half fit, including "campagne" in the sense of military campaign, but that wasn't Etteilla's original thought.
Netzach: Decker has "place of counsel; victory". My notes: victory; place to direct prayers for mercy; place of counsel; unmerited benefits; positive decrees; luck; nurturing of prophecy; grace of Abraham.
......Swords.................................Batons
7 Esperance (Hope)/Sage(s) Avis.......Caquets (Prattle)//Pour Parler (for speaking, negotiations)/Indécision
.....Cups.......................................Coins
La pensée (thought)/Projets (Plans).....Argent (Money)/Inquiétudes (Anxieties)
Conclusion: these, to the extent they are positive, fit in a vague sort of way.: 1/2 . Decker does not notice that for Gikatilla Hod is negative, Netzach positive.
Tifereth. Decker has "central to time and space". My notes: glory or beauty; combines judgment and mercy; awesome and horrible; delivers positive and negative decrees.
......Swords....................................................,,,,,,,,,,............................................Batons
6 Envoyé, Commissionaire (Envoy, Messenger)//Route/Déclaration d’amour//Declaration........Domestique (servant)/Attente (waiting)
.....Cups...................................Coins
Le passé/L'avenir (the future)...... .Le présent/Ambitions
Conclusion: swords and batons fit vaguely, so 1/4. Decker's "time and space" is not in Gikatilla at all.
Gevurah. Decker has "heavenly court, judgment". My notes: judge; fear, severe judgment, based on merit; informants and prosecutors; place of destructive angels; emits flames of fire; destructive beasts.
......Swords...............................Batons
5 Perte (Loss)/Deuil (Grief)...........Or (Gold)/Procès (Trial, Court Case)
.....Cups..................................................................................Coins
Héritage (Inheritance)/Faux projets (Flawed or bogus plans)//Parent.....Amants ou Maitresse/Manque d'ordre (lack of order)
Conclusion: Gold, inheritance, and lovers don't fit. So about 5/8 appropriate.
Chesed. Decker has "heavenly court; mercy". My notes: grace, mercy, loving-kindness, positive commandments, magnificence, granting exceptions, long-forebearing,
......Swords.............................................Batons
4 Solitude/Economie (wise administration).....Société (Company, Organization)/ Fleurissement (Flourishing)//Prosperité
.....Cups...............................................................................Coins
Ennui/Nouvelle connaissance (New acquaintance or knowledge).........C’est un présent (It's a gift)/Clôture (Closure, Closed, Enclosure, stuck)
Conclusion: Maybe 1/4 fits.
Binah. Decker has "Path of Love; understanding." My notes: providence, foresight, source of life, repentance and return, highest source of justice, atonement, city of David, gate to upper triad.
..Swords....Batons
3 Religieuse (Nun)//Eloignement (Separation)/Effet égaré (Appearing lost or confused)//Egarement (Misconduct, lost)) .......Enterprises/ Peine court à sa fin (Trouble shortly to end)
.....Cups.......................................................................................Coins
Réussite (success)/Expédition d’affaires (expedition of business)...............Noblesse/Enfant (Child)
Conclusion: maybe 1/2.
Hochmah. Decker has "Path of Love; wisdom". My notes: wisdom, deep thoughts, will, fear of unworthiness, pleasure, "whoever reaches this place will be able to do or have whatever he desires", source of river that is Binah
......Swords................................Batons
2 Amitie (Friendship)/Amis inutiles ou faux amis, ou parents peu utiles (Unhelpful or False Friends or Relatives of Little Help)//Faux (False)..............Chagrin (Sorrow)/Surprise
.....Cups..................................Coins
Amour/Désir ............................Embarrass (Embarrassment)/Lettre (letter, note, document)
Conclusion: 1/4.
Kether. Decker has "supreme sefiroth; crown". My notes: source of sources, beyond thought, joy and rejoicing, pure mercy, source of light.
......Swords..................................................................................Batons
1 Amour Folle (Crazy Love)//Extrème/Grossesse (Pregnancy. fecundity).....Naissance (Birth)/Se défier de la première victoire (Distrust the first victory)//Chute (Fall)
.....Cups............................................Coins
Table (as in Gastronomy)/Changement......Parfait contentemment/Bourse d'argent (purse of money)
Conclusion: about 3/4 .
Average: About 5 out of 10. I have no idea whether this is higher than chance or not. I think that the correlations are not just positive to positive and negative to negative (for which the probability would indeed be one half). But there may be influences that affected both Gikatilla and Etteilla.
The high correspondences between Etteilla and Gikatilla for the Tens and Aces, which skew the results in a positive way, in particular might be explained as a result of a shared Judeo-Christian monotheism in the context of an "ascent" narrative at different times and places. The Aces reflect God, the One, on the descent, and the Tens reflect the Decad on the ascent, the soul's union with that God.
In addition, there may be influences from Pythagoreanism, which was very much part of the Neoplatonic foundation of Kabbalah (according to what I read in Moshe Idel,
Kabbalah in Italy 1280-1510).
The words on the cards and those added by Etteilla's followers fit slightly better than Etteilla's in the 3rd Cahier. That suggests to me that he and his followers might have tried to fit what was not originally Cabalist into a Cabalist framework later.
My contention is and has been that the source for the cartomantic tradition which Etteilla is reporting for the number cards is Neopythagorean. When Etteilla said at one point that his source was a "Greek manuscript", he might have meant the edition, in Greek, of the
Theologumena Arithmeticae printed in Paris in 1543; after all, he was a book dealer; but he would have known its contents only vaguely and second or third hand. The associations in this text seem to me reflected in the cards as early as the pips of the Sola-Busca (which are only superficially alchemical). I have worked this out at in the thread "Deciphering the Sola-Busca pips", starting at
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=530. When I did it, I didn't have the information from the 3rd Cahier; nor did I use other Pythagorean sources, such as the ones that Decker applied--correctly in my view--to the trumps.I will have to go back and see if that matters.
The odd thing is that while Gikatilla does not fit the number cards as well as they should, his account of the sefiroth does seem to fit the Tarot de Marseille trumps--a view Decker explicitly rejects. The Bagatella, as creator god, fits Kether. The Popess, as wisdom, fits Hochmah. The Empress as understanding mother fits Binah. The Emperor as pardoner, i.e. mercy over justice, fits Chesed. The Pope as severe judgment, justice according to merit, fits Gevurah. The Lover as beauty and glory, balancing severity and love, fits Tifereth. The Chariot as Victory and all things positive fits Netzach. Justice as submission to the sword of judgment fits Hod. The Hermit as redeeming angel and commitment to God fits Yesod. The Wheel as the bringer of good and evil to God's community fits Malkuth. Papus made these observations in
Tarot of the Bohemians, and he was right.
Papus did not go any further. But Fortitude, as what is needed in the face of adversity, also fits Malkuth as the community of Israel. The Hanged Man as a betrayer does not fit Yesod; but it seems to me that it does fit betrayal to serve a higher good, such as Muzio Attendola's switch from the Roman anti-pope to the claimant in Avignon. Another example is Christ's betrayal of Jewish orthodoxy (which Christians call "fulfilment"), his blood sacrifice as an act of redemption substituting for circumcision and a new covenant. This is itself a kind of Christianization of Kabbalah. Death is the destructive power of Hod. Temperance/Fame is the positive antidote to Death, liberation from the body into a new body that can ascend. The Devil card corresponds to the demons of the air, which are both positive and negative, both bearing the soul up and punishing. The Arrow is the purifying fire of Gevurah's judgment. the Star (of Christ in the tarot) corresponds to Beatrice's merciful love in the
Purgatorio, where Dante's soul is given the water of eternal life. The Moon is where that water comes from (the lake on the card), and so Binah, the river that flows below. The Sun is the higher destination, beyond the Moon, where the spirit comes from. The Trumpet is the act of approaching the goal, in ever increasing joy, and so corresponds to Kether. The World is the oblivion of the individual spirit as it merges with the spirit-substance beyond every particularity, the En Sof.
But of course this has nothing to do with Etteilla, whose order of trumps is altogether different. At present I have no theory as to why the correspondences to the Tarot de Marseille work. I do not think they are like Decker's to the number cards, which work no matter what sefira you plug in. I tried many other combinations before I realized that the trumps were in order just as they were. But a certain subjectivity enters in no matter how hard you try to keep it out; so it would be useful to know other people's impressions, especially for the last 11, where I go where even Papus feared to tread.