Who Was Minetta?

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Minetta is a mystery.

Unlike Sepharial, who we know was Walter Gorn Old and who has a wikipedia page and various other biographical information online, I can't even find her real name.

This blog post from Mary Greer and the comments on it are interesting. There's been much speculation - was she Arthur Edward Waite? Cicely Kent? I don't believe she was either of those.

Did she have a hand in the creation of the Tarot Fortune Cards? Quite possibly.

I first became interested in Minetta because Andy Boroveshengra often referred to her and thought highly of her reading skills. But he never found any solid information on Minetta herself, either. It wasn't for lack of trying!

At this point, I'm convinced that it's easier to trace Frankie Albano! Since we have his legal name, we can find bits of information. We can't do that with someone we know only as "Minetta."

And yes, her book is indispensable. It's OOP, but you can find a copy of Card Reading on sites like https://www.abebooks.com/ 
Or the earlier edition, What The Cards Tell, can be downloaded here:
https://archive.org/details/1899minettawhatthecardstell
 
If you read playing cards, you probably use the full 52 card pack. Minetta's method uses a stripped 32 card bésigue pack, but it also utilizes reversed meanings. To avoid confusion, I made a "Minetta pack" - just a regular pack of Bees with the 2-6 removed, and her meanings written on the cards. When writing on cards, don't use regular ink or Sharpie - those smear. Get ultra fine tipped paint pens like these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R64NE42
 
I guess that's all for now. Feel free to comment if you find anything! 




Comments

  1. VestaAugust 2, 2024 at 10:57 AM

    What an excellent post. I wish I had something to add to your knowledge of Minetta but she's a mystery to me too. After reading her introduction in the download you provided (Thanks!), I winced and ordered a copy from abebooks. You probably already know that there is a Kindle version of both her books on Amazon entitled "Minetta's Cartomancy and Tarot Reading Works." Apparently, it was submitted by someone named Russell Stamets. I hope you write more about Minetta's books and maybe show us a reading you've done? Thanks again. Minetta's works look like pure gold.

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