ORIGIN OF ETTEILLA
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a tale of tarot and wine
The exact origins of tarot are unknown - it may have originated in ancient Egypt by a council of philosophers who sought to preserve their esoteric knowledge and wisdom. Others believe it is a Western derivation of the Eastern divinatory tradition of I-Ching. What we know as fact, however, is that oldest existing decks originated in 15th century from Italy and were used as a parlor game.1
In 1785, French Occultist Jean Baptiste Alliette published “Manière de se récréer avec le jeu de cartes nommées tarots” (ways to entertain yourself with a deck of cards called tarot) under the moniker Etteilla. The book popularized the use of tarot cards as a tool for divination - exploring mystical and esoteric meanings beyond their traditional use in card games.
236 years later, we arrived at Coturri Winery with a copy of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Way of Tarot in hand. Jodorowsky’s interpretation of Tarot is unique - it’s slippery and flexible - it can be anything and everything, a point of reference, of reflection, of divination. 2
For those who have never been, Coturri Winery sits on the east side of Sonoma Mountain, overlooking the valley of the moon. Tony Coturri’s property has a specific energy that’s hard to describe if you’ve never been - it’s simultaneously enchanting and unsettling - not so dissimilar to practices of the occult ;)
While pulling tarot with Tony and his partner Susan one night, both independently pulled Arcanum XV: Le Diable.
The Devil represents passion above all else. This card contains all the hidden potentials of the human subconscious, both negative and positive. It’s a card of temptation: a summons to search for the occult treasure, immortality, and powerful energy buried in the psyche. In many ways, The Devil is a card that embodies the desire to make wine - literal intoxication, creative force, obsession.
It’s easy to see the connection between tarot and the metaphysical aspects of winemaking. The alchemy of fermentation (The Magician), influence of lunar and celestial cycles in farming (The Moon, The High Priestess), the cyclical nature of the year (The Wheel of Fortune)… I could go on.
Early in our winemaking journey, I pulled The Fool - which is a little too on-the-nose. The card represents the beginning of a journey - it signifies the seekers willingness to step into the abyss, take risks - someone who is unburdened by the past, willing to surrender to the divine. The Fool become the symbol of the first cuvée in our line-up: Joujou.
Throughout this silly little fool's journey, we’ve found winemaking requires the same level of faith in extreme plasticity as Tarot. It’s light and profound, linear and multidimensional, gamelike and complex. Like tarot, wine refuses to be reduced to any one of the countless possibilities it opens.
Tarot. The Library of Esoterica. Taschen
Colman, David. When Tarot Trumps All. Nov. 11, 2011
i love this. two of my fave things! ✨