Tarot Reflections
November 2015

By Terri Clement

                                                   Images from the Mystisches Kipper published by A.G. Muller (released 2007)


Looking for something new to try? The Kipper might deserve a glance. The Kipper, also called Kipperkarten (Dutch for Kipper Cards) is another fortune telling card system that is very similar to the Lenormand.

The 36 card Kipper has been well known in Germany for over 100 years, but is rarely talked about here in the United States. That is until our friend, Ciro Marchetti decided to produce a Kipper deck earlier this year. His new special edition, self-published deck is titled Fin De Siecle Kipper. This new special edition deck should be available for shipment by the end of October 2015. Look for a larger run next year from two major publishers.

There are a handful of versions already available, the Original, the Leiding, the Salish, and the Mystisches Kipper (Mystical Kipper) - which you will see featured here, along with the Fin De Siecle Kipper. There may be a few more out there, but these are the traditional and most popular to date. I do expect to see several new Kipper decks on the market in the upcoming year or two once Marchetti’s deck hits the mainstream publishers and as more people discover this system, and deck designers jump on board.

By tradition the Kipper was directly associated with the Biedermeir period in Germany, with it's location considered to have been Bavaria. The Leiding, is an updated version that is done in softer colors, with minor differences in a couple of the card titles. The Salish was done by the same artist who did the Revival Lenormand, and is a bit more like the Original, and the Mystisches is by the same artist who did the Mystical Lenormand. The Fin De Siecle Kipper by Ciro Marchetti has been transported both geographically and historically to the British Victorian era (Look for a detailed explanation in his companion document).

If you have spent any time with the Lenormand, you will have no trouble adapting to the Kipper. Some may even find it easier to work with than the Lenormand . The Kipper is more scenic, having more objects or people on the card, but lacking the playing card aspect. This is a great system for those uncomfortable using animals or symbols to represent people

"Yikes, my new boss is the Fox?!”  The Fox becomes the False Person in the Kipper). 

Image from the Mystisches Kipper published by A.G. Muller (released 2007)

Like the Lenormand, the Kipper is not meant to be read intuitively, but things should be taken into account such as which card is on the other side of the door, or which card a figure is pointing to. Both systems use the same spreads and techniques.

                                                       Image from Fin De Siecle Kipper published by Ciro Marchetti (released 2015)

Here is a list of simple traditional meanings for each card:

1. Main Person, male, male significator, male consultant
2. Main Person, female, female significator, female consultant
3. Marriage, Relationships, acquaintance (look at nearby cards), good when ahead of significator, but if it follows can mean separation (again, look at nearby cards)
4. Meeting, business or social, (look at nearby cards)
5. Good Lord, Older Man, Geezer, boss, relative, wise, brings good news when close to significator. In an affair, card 1 is the lover and card 5 is the husband
6. Good Lady, Older Woman, same as 5, just reverse the sexes, if she falls behind the significator she can be a troublesome female relative
7. Pleasant Letter, contacts, news, letters, emails, texts, etc. (if card 27 is close by this can indicate the need for a signature, if the card falls behind the significator, this is badly aspected and can show defamation, grief and sorrow. (Timing: a week)
8. False Person, a dishonest person, similar to the Fox in Lenormand, close to the significator shows bad luck, loss, and betrayal.
9. Change, (usually for the better), with card 21 Living Room a move or relocation happening soon, if far from the significator the change may be delayed or not falling in the time frame expected. (Timing: 6 – 7 weeks)
10. Journey, road trip, transport or vehicle, leaving something behind, with card 24 Theft, Loss, this is a caution against loss/theft while traveling or auto accident. Any cards around Journey can be amplified (Timing: a week)
11. Winning (A Lot), money outside of regular earnings, if close to significator a lot of money; far, the money is “out of reach” or loss. When the reading is not about money it can describe close aspect cards as “a lot”
12. Rich Girl, Younger Woman, lucky life, no worries, daughter, younger mistress, with a bad card near could mean family-related grief
13. Rich Good Lord, Employer, bank, security, business, younger man, money matters. Brings good news when no negative cards are nearby.
14. Sad News, Minor Illness, depressing news, weakness in general (closer to the significator the sooner it occurs
15. Love, love or friendship (look for nearby people cards), a good start, near card 8 False Person, obstacles and dishonesty (Timing: spring)
16. His Thoughts, Planning, making plans, can be taken literally, what someone is thinking. His thoughts are good when surrounded around “positive cards” (Timing: 4 weeks)
17. Getting A Gift, Joy, recognition, praise, profit, happiness (this is also a luck card and helps mitigate negative cards)
18. Small Child, Something New, something new, something small, a fresh start, a “little bit”, card 26 Hope, Big Water, along with card 18 Small Child can be a pregnancy combo (dreaming of pregnancy), negative cards nearby can bring anger, grief, and sorrow (Timing: spring, or shortly)
19. A Death, Endings/New Beginnings, (literal death in only certain combos), near the significator, a possible death in the family, if card 21 Living Room, Personal Space is near, it will occur suddenly and unexpectedly (Timing: night time or winter)
20. House, home, land, yard/garden, stability, near the significator good luck, in the center of the spread can indicate that all “people” who surround this card are troublesome (Timing: 6 months)
21. Living Room, Own Personal Space, home, apartment, office, any place where you can get away from everything. Close to significator the events indicated by other nearby cards can happen very soon, it's in the room, it's close (Timing: 4 weeks)
22. Military Person, Officer, (usually means “It's Official!” in relation to neighboring cards), an official of any kind, when taken literally: police, judge, etc., can be intimidating or unapproachable. Can be someone close.
23. Court, Decisions, public matters, buildings, neutral if close to significator or unpleasant when far away
24. Theft, Loss, of any kind: money, possessions, love, etc. In front of significator you will recover the loss, if the card is far away the loss is permanent.
25. Come to High Honor, recognition from work, school, older people, success, promotion, and achievement when close to significator, what is shown by the surrounding cards becomes reality, in combination with card 34 Work, Occupation, could mean self-employment
26. Great Good Luck, best card in the deck, exactly what it says, amplifies surrounding good cards and reduces the bad (Timing: summer)
27. Unexpected Money, positive finances, contracts, good luck, a raise (check nearby cards), every day money activities (Timing: a couple of weeks)
28. Expectation, 3 Months Patience, (not always literally), don't act, let thing sort themselves. (Timing: a few weeks to a couple of months)
29. Prison, (in Leidingkarten – Hospital), fear, loneliness, isolation, large building, trapped in a relationship or situation, combined with card 23 Court, can be literal prison or jail time, bad luck (Timing: time passing slowly)
30. Magistrate, quarrel, stress, nerves, but also having someone to go to for resolution, decisions, and conversations, Judge, lawyer, doctor, etc.
31. Short Illness, Serious Illness, illness, addiction, problems, depression. If coupled with card 14 Sad News, can indicate a serious illness, with positive cards near – only short illness indicated, if behind a person card, the back; above it, anything from head through abdomen; below, problems below the waistline, with card 36 Hope/Great Water, can mean heart trouble, because this can also be a “bed” card with card 24 Theft, can mean an affair, with card 24 Living Room, intimate sex, with card 22 Military Person, it can get pretty physical.
32. Grief, Brooding, worries, obstacles, frustration, sometimes headache, fever or even rage, things can come to a good end if good cards are close
33. Cloudy Thoughts, serious worries, deception, pessimism, depression, confusion, lack of autonomy and freedom
34. Work, Occupation, work, hobbies, activities
35. Long Road, 2 Years Patience (usually not literally), a long time, or a lot that needs to be done, “a long road ahead”, a great distance (Timing: a couple of years or a long time)
36. Hope/Great Water, dreams, fantasies, fortunes, surrounding cards and positions are very important. Can also indicate a message from a far country or overseas (Timing: summer)
    

With the Fin De Siecle Kipper, Ciro Marchetti takes his work to a whole new level with his interactive application that animates his deck. Below is a YouTube showing an example using Card 9 Change.

                                                                              YouTube provided by Ciro Marchetti

If you are looking for a new system to try, I encourage you to take a look at the Kipper. This little deck could easily be comfortable to use and offers a lot of insight, especially when looking at relationship readings of any kind.