Etteilla's Four Questions or Columns of the Wisdom, Science & Art of the Magician-Diviner

The cover of my translation of Etteilla's Philosophy of the High Sciences, or The Key Given to the Children of the Art of Science & Wisdom.

Beyond Cartonomancy

When we think of Etteilla (Jean-Baptiste Alliette, 1738-1791), we immediately think of tarot. He's celebrated as the grandfather of tarot divination. But Etteilla's cartonomancy was just one branch of the "wise Cabala" as he called it, or of a much larger system.

Note: Etteilla didn't use "Cabala" in the sense that we think of it today (like the Kabbalistic Tree of Life with the Sephiroth for example), but as an umbrella term to refer to the branches of the High Sciences.

The Four Columns

In his 1785 work Philosophie des hautes Sciences (translated into English for the first time ever!), Etteilla reveals the method he used for over twenty years: The Four Questions named the Columns of the Wisdom, Science & Art of the Magician-Diviner. He charged 24-48 livres annually to serve as what he called a "Physician of the spirit" to clients across Europe, Asia, and even Morocco.

Evidence suggests that the famous fortune-teller Mademoiselle Lenormand (1772-1843) may have adopted Etteilla's Four Columns method or a variation of it in her own practice. Historical accounts record that she almost always asked her clients their age or date of birth and their favorite color and number.

"The four questions that I ask, are named the columns of the Wisdom, of the Science & of the Art of the Magician-Diviner; & it is on these three Virtues, human, or given to Men, that the intellectual & celestial pyramid is placed, which, conceived by the understanding, makes one pronounce Oracles."

His wording is a little confusing here but I took this to mean that there are 4 questions or columns founded on 3 virtues.

Keep reading because later I will take you through the explanation of this intellectual & celestial pyramid.

Etteilla insisted that there was a real science to this:

"I operate purely by an all simple & entirely natural Science"

and

 "purely by Science learned in reason of my studies & of my intelligence."

Let me take you through exactly how it works, using a real demonstration, but first let's start with the basics.

The Four Columns: The Basics

Etteilla required exactly four pieces of information from every questioner:

Column 1: The Year and Date of Birth

"By the year & the date of the month, dressing the natal theme, the Magician Astrologer consults the influences of the Stars, at the time of birth or the moment in particular questions, & this is named natural or judicial Astrology, or Science of the Heavens."

This is pure astrology—casting a chart to see planetary influences at the moment of birth, or at the moment referred to in a particular question.

Column 2: Initial Letters of the Names of Belief

"By the letters, the Magician-Cartonomancer develops or recognizes the spirit of those who surround the Questioner at the time of his birth, & this is named human Art."

The "names of belief" most likely refers to the religious names given at baptism. Etteilla uses only the initial letters, which he converts to numbers using a special alphabet developed by his student and friend, Mr. Hisler.

Column 3: A Number of Affection

"By the number, knowing the forces, virtues & properties of the numbers, as well as their weaknesses in regard to such or such subjects, the Cartonomancer judges the solidity & the interior legerity, moral & physical of the Questioner, & this is named Science."

The questioner chooses a number they have "affection" for—a number they prefer or feel drawn to. This reveals their interior nature.

Column 4: A Preferred Color

"By the colors, the same discovers the passions, the tastes, the Societies, & in general all that holds to the exterior of the Consultant, & flows, without the express consent of this one, into his interior, & this movement is again of human Art."

The color reveals exterior life—tastes, passions, social circles, and how these external forces flow inward.

Why These Four?

Etteilla explains the logic:

"The number, root of all dimensions, developing the interior of the microcosm or Man; 2°. that the theme giving the tableau of the influences of the Stars, influences imperceptible, but palpable, abundant in the macrocosm or Universe; relate to a foundation of Science, not solely of superficial principles, like the Art of colors & of letters, but to a foundation of interior principle."

In other words:

· Number = Interior/microcosm (Science)

· Natal theme = Exterior/macrocosm (Science of the Heavens)

· Letters & Colors = Surface principles (Human Art)

"It is by knowing how to perfectly bind & unbind these four bases, that one remounts to the veritable Science & to the Wisdom of the Mages & primitive Peoples, & finally to Divination."

In other words: by learning to work with these four columns—understanding their relationships and how to connect and separate them—you ascend back to the true science and wisdom that the Mages and ancient peoples possessed, which leads to the science of Divination.

Finding Your Genius

The Four Columns lead to something specific: discovering which of the 72 Geniuses governs your life.

Etteilla describes these as "the seventy-two Bearers of the Throne of JEHOVAH"—elementary spirits that govern different rays or domains of the universe.

"All Men have a good & a bad Genius: I am so certain of what I advance, that I offer to convince the most obstinate of it."

Once you know your Genius, you know:

· What element governs you (Fire, Air, Water, Earth)

· What your Genius loves and hates

· What ray of the universe you're connected to

· Your six "remarkable numbers" in life

An Actual Demonstration

Let me show you exactly how this works using my own information.

My Four Columns

Birth: July 3

Letters: H. L.

Number: 11

Color: Blue

Step 1: The Natal Theme

Note: the year and time and place of birth would be needed in order to draw up a birth chart in order to find out what planets and nodes fall in the 11^th house.

For me, the key astrological facts are:

· Sun in Cancer (cardinal water sign)

· Moon in Leo in the 11th house

The 11th house placement is crucial—this is called the "house of good Geniuses" and Etteilla uses whatever planets or nodes that fall in this house as part of the calculation to find which Genius governs the person.

Numerical and Cabalistic Alphabet discovered by Etteilla's student and friend Mr. Hisler

Step 2: The Letters: H & L

(Note: I realized after I did all of this that H is actually 11 and not 10 in Hisler's alphabet and I didn't want to do it all over again😆but I think this will suffice for demonstration purposes.)

Etteilla uses the numerical alphabet created by Mr. Hisler:

H = 10

L = 44

According to the system:

· H is feminine, terrestrial, relates to the belly, distills

· L is masculine & feminine, aquatic, relates to the chest & heart, dissolves

H (10) + L (44) = 54

Step 3: The Number: 11

From Etteilla's table:

"11, over gentleness, temperance; on the contrary, bitterness, anger: in this case, make the person sit, & give him two spoonfuls of fresh water."

Step 4: The Color: Blue

Blue = Jupiter = Tin

According to Etteilla, blue announces:

"Magnanimity; nevertheless we have remarked, after the judgment of Agrippa... that blue, in France, announced jealousy... jealousy of possession & of primacy or of precedence in dignities, ranks, grades, places, fortune & noble things, with legitimacy; that is to say that ambition & jealousy given by the color blue, does not hold to possessing unjustly."

Step 5: Finding the Genius

Now comes the calculation. Etteilla provides the formula in his example of Ismaël Ozias:

First, establish the base number:

· Alphabet range: 1 to 90 (the first and last values in the alphabet)

· Their circle: 881 (the sum of all letter values in the alphabet: 1+3+5+7+9+2+4+6+8+10+11+12+33+44+55+66+77+88+90+20+30+40+50+60+70+80)

· 1 + 90 + 881 = 972

· 972 ÷ 72 = 13 remainder 36

This base number of 36 is constant for everyone—it's the starting point before adding individual letter and planetary values.

Second, add the letter values:

· 36 + H(10) + L(44) = 90

Page 96 of Etteilla's Third Cahier, see my English translation currently out of print but to be re-released soon!

Third, add the planetary values from the 11th house:

From page 96 of Etteilla's third Cahier, the Moon (La Lune) = 74

Since I have only the Moon in the 11th house with no other planets or nodes:

Final calculation:

· 90 + 74 = 164

· 164 ÷ 72 = 2 remainder 20

My Genius is number 20: JAHHEL

What JAHHEL Governs

From Etteilla's table of the 72 Geniuses:

"20, Sciences, Arts & any object of genius where the hands are indispensable, such as Painting, &c., on the contrary, the charlatanism of false Artists."

OMG Wow! As an artist and researcher I feel like this really resonates for me!

JAHHEL is of the Earth element (4th position in its tetrad of four Geniuses).

The Six Remarkable Numbers

The 72 Geniuses are arranged in a specific pattern. Etteilla explains:

"A very essential observation, is to recognize the Geniuses who communicate their Element to each other; they are in this sort: 1, 26, 51, 4: 25, 50, 3, 28: 49, 2, 27, 52"

The pattern works by adding 25 repeatedly, wrapping around after 72:

· Your Genius number

· Your Genius + 25

· Your Genius + 50 (if over 72, subtract 72)

· Your Genius + 75 (if over 72, subtract 72)

For JAHHEL (20), the four connected Geniuses are:

· 20 - JAHHEL

· 20 + 25 = 45 - HAKAMIAH

· 20 + 50 = 70 - MANADEL

· 20 + 75 = 95 - 72 = 23 - DANIEL

Now add the letter sum to the Genius number:

· 54 + 20 = 74

The six remarkable numbers: 20, 23, 45, 54, 70, 74

"These six numbers are, as of necessity, remarkable starting from your birth up until death; it is for the operator to recognize them in the principles of the Science of the Numbers, I say to know if their remark is in good or in bad."

Etteilla notes that he has given these numbers to clients for the lottery, though with mixed results and warnings against misuse.

Now let’s take a look at this chart that Etteilla created for a student of his.

Chart that Etteilla created for a student of his that features the intellectual & celestial pyramid that he mentioned earlier.

Let's break it down:

The information for The Four Columns

Mars in the 11th house and the Six Remarkable Numbers

3 of the Six Remarkable Numbers have been placed at the corners of the pyramid and the result of their multiplication (71 x 46 x 24 = 78384) is repeated 3 times within the pyramid. a. is the result of multiplying 71 x 46 = 3266. 46 x 24 = 1104 featured in the center and b. is the result of 71 x 24 = 1704. Finally the numbers in the bottom row are the other 3 of the Six Remarkable numbers.

The Six Numbers in Etteilla's Tarot System

My six remarkable numbers reflected in Etteilla's tarot.

These remarkable numbers may also correspond to cards in Etteilla's tarot system, adding another layer of interpretation:

20 - The Wheel of Fortune

· Upright: Fortune

· Reversed: Augmentation

23 - Queen of Batons

· Upright: Woman from the country

· Reversed: Good woman

45 - 5 of Cups

· Upright: Heritage (Inheritance)

· Reversed: Parents/Relatives

54 - 10 of Swords

· Upright: Tears

· Reversed: Advantage

70 - 8 of Coins

· Upright: Brunette girl

· Reversed: Usury

74 - 4 of Coins

· Upright: A present

· Reversed: Cloister/enclosure

I'll save further demonstrations and explanations relating this all to his tarot for another time 😉

For those interested in exploring the complete system—including all 72 Geniuses with their specific loves, hates, and domains; the full numerical and cabalistic alphabet; detailed color interpretations for dozens of shades; and Etteilla's philosophical framework —the full translation of Philosophy of the High Sciences, or The Key Given to the Children of Art of Science & of Wisdom  is now available on Amazon.

Click here to check out my English Language Petit Etteilla book and card set!

and please come join my Etteilla Study Group on Facebook a space to learn, research, and deepen your understanding of the grandfather of modern cartonomancy.