Grand Etteilla 1857 · Tarot Card 15
Grand Etteilla Tarot Card 15 — Illness / Illness
The repeated title intensifies the subject instead of changing it. In a responsible reading, the card describes strain, limitation or a need for care; it does not replace medical assessment.
What is shown on the card?
A bearded figure in ceremonial dress stands beneath arches before an altar-like table and holds a staff over several small objects.
Printed meanings in the 1857 edition
Illness
The upper inscription reads ‘Illness’. Historically, it names a state of physical or emotional impairment; the card gives neither a diagnosis nor a cause.
Illness
The opposite inscription also reads ‘Illness’. The card therefore provides no second counter-term and does not automatically reverse into healing or health.
The printed pair and the book’s sentence-building method are historical evidence. Love, work and daily applications are explicitly marked TarotCards24 editorial commentary.
Commentary and difference from RWS
There is no direct RWS equivalent. Card 15 must not be equated with a similarly numbered or illustrated Rider–Waite–Smith card because Grand Etteilla uses its own order, printed pairs and sentence-building method.
There is no direct RWS equivalent. Card 15 must not be equated with a similarly numbered or illustrated Rider–Waite–Smith card because Grand Etteilla uses its own order, printed pairs and sentence-building method.
Alternative reading: When the question is not about health, Illness may be read as a clearly marked modern metaphor for a disturbed, exhausted or unsustainable process.
Practical interpretation
Love: In relationships, the card may point to overload, a need for care, or a pattern that drains both people. Specific health concerns belong with qualified professionals.
Work: At work, it warns of overload, absence risks and structures that consume resources over time.
As a person: It describes no fixed personality type, but rather someone under strain or a person who needs care and firmer boundaries.
If this is your card today: Take one concrete warning sign seriously and decide what professional help, rest or relief is actually needed today.
Continue exploring Grand Etteilla 1857 Tarot
Frequently asked questions
What does Grand Etteilla Tarot Card 15 — Illness / Illness mean in the first position?
The upper inscription reads ‘Illness’. Historically, it names a state of physical or emotional impairment; the card gives neither a diagnosis nor a cause.
What does Grand Etteilla Tarot Card 15 — Illness / Illness mean in the second position?
The opposite inscription also reads ‘Illness’. The card therefore provides no second counter-term and does not automatically reverse into healing or health.
What does Grand Etteilla Tarot Card 15 — Illness / Illness mean in love?
In relationships, the card may point to overload, a need for care, or a pattern that drains both people. Specific health concerns belong with qualified professionals.
What does Grand Etteilla Tarot Card 15 — Illness / Illness mean at work?
At work, it warns of overload, absence risks and structures that consume resources over time.
What kind of person does Grand Etteilla Tarot Card 15 — Illness / Illness describe?
It describes no fixed personality type, but rather someone under strain or a person who needs care and firmer boundaries.