Papus’s great figure · 66 cards read · 33 documented pairs
Historic Grand Etteilla Tarot Spread: the Great Figure of Past, Present and Future
The numbered figure in Papus’s 1892 edition assigns sixty-six cards to three groups of eleven pairs: past, present and future. This interactive reconstruction keeps those exact numbered correspondences.
Draw the Grand Etteilla great figure
Past
Pairs 1+34 through 11+44. Read the outer right branch as completed causes and established background.
Present
Pairs 23+45 through 33+55. Read the upper bridge as forces active now.
Future
Pairs 12+66 through 22+56. Read the outer left branch as a possible development, not a guaranteed event.
No cards have been drawn yet.
Connected Grand Etteilla reading
Selected card
12 cards outside the documented reading
Papus tells the reader to reshuffle all 78 cards, but the printed reading instructions account for only positions 1–66. No reading role is assigned to the remaining twelve in this passage, so they are shown separately and not interpreted.
How to read the great figure
- Lay the shuffled cards according to the numbered figure rather than ordinary deck order.
- Read the past as eleven pairs: 1+34, 2+35, continuing through 11+44.
- Read the present as 23+45, 24+46, continuing through 33+55.
- Read the future as 12+66, 13+65, continuing through 22+56.
- Compare the three groups and finish with the connected answer; future language remains conditional.
How the three parts work
The historical diagram forms a large frame around the inquirer. Past, present and future are not single cards: each is an eleven-pair field. Repetition across fields matters more than any one dramatic card.
FAQ
Why are 66 cards read instead of 78?
The printed pair instructions cover positions 1–66. Twelve cards have no stated reading role in this passage.
How many pairs are in the figure?
Thirty-three: eleven for the past, eleven for the present and eleven for the future.
Does the future group predict a fixed outcome?
No. The cards describe a possible development under the current conditions.
Is this the same as the 54-card soul, mind and body deal?
No. It is the separate third deal in Papus’s sequence.
Can I use Rider–Waite–Smith?
No. This reconstruction uses Grand Etteilla 1857 and its two printed positions.