The Kipper Cards are a 36 card forecasting system, the cards of which are referenced by their Number. It is not know who actually invented the Kipper card system, but there is strong evidence that the person lived in Bavaria around the 1880s. We do know that all decks are derived from the deck published by the Matthias Seidlein company in the 1890s, and that the deck was named after the famous cartomancer Susanne Kipper as a marketing ploy.
At the time of the Kipper systems invention, card decks were only printed by established publishers. As is still done today when a creator allows their deck be published by a mass market publisher, the publisher will modify a cards title and imagery in a manner that they feel (mystery/beauty/wealth/love) will increase deck sales to dabblers. Unfortunately in this case the publisher by focusing too much upon scoring a quick profit did a great disservice to the unknown author, as the second-rate illustrations are obviously rushed, and the labels are truncated and misleading. Sloppiness continued in that when the deck was reprinted thirty years later, all but one of the card images were accidentally reversed!
The Kipper originally lacked a guidebook, so card meanings were crammed into a little corner box on the cards themselves (thus abbreviated words and lots of allegory). Serious cartomancers therefore had to guess at the creators intent for the card meanings solely from the publisher modified titles and illustrations. Unfortunately this has led to some grave misinterpretations, as some titles and images were initially (and often frustratingly still) taken too much at their face value alone. Recent intensive serious study however has now uncovered the decks truer nature.
The Kipper card system is really quite unique, but to truly understand the mechanics you have to first strip away both the colloquial Old German titles and the often misleading Victorian Bavarian mnemonic imagery. What then becomes clear is that the deck is tailored for the specific purpose of examining courtships of all forms, and not for general divination. Another thing noticed is that the deck is very binary, in that most cards are actually pairs, coldly declaring a better/worse evaluation. It is therefore not surprising that the deck is often described as: a masculine deck intended for women
.
The cards in the deck are particularly well suited to questions about a potential lover, especially if the dating goal is to establish a conjoining. If a card suggests making a behavioral change, it is usually with the goal of increasing your desirability in the eyes of the Significant. Intriguingly, as it is functionally a courtship, the deck is also suitable for questions about business merger negotiations. Please however do not use this deck for general questions, as the deck construct is unsuitable (use some other divination tool instead).
Most of the cards in the Kipper deck have an opposing pair. Many of the cards also express the same idea, but in a greater or lesser form, so that together they can be gathered into groups. There are also cards which act as Clarifiers and which represent Profiles. Several cards stand less on their own, serving instead as adjectives to adjacent cards in a Spread. Together all the cards will fall within one of three clusters.
The Conditions cluster contains two card groups which report on the action happening in the melodrama. These cards are the guideposts which can help you in achieving your goals.
As a Spread develops and the story unfolds, a card from the Concord, Unity, Progress, or Ease set may be placed. Immediately after a card from that same set, but with an opposite meaning or with a similar meaning but different intensity, might then be placed. In this situation the newly placed card is normally not interpreted as a clarifier to the previously placed card, but rather interpreted as describing another phase in the story. While this development may seem jarring, be consoled that humans can sometimes be irrational, and a quick about-face or change in magnitude is not to be unexpected in a Spread dealing with the emotionally charged subject of a conjoining.
The Circumstance group consists of two sets of four cards each, that describe context. While the sets of Concord and Unity are entities unto themselves, these two sets are grouped together because they share a common theme, which is Circumstance. The Concord set evaluates the amount of positive or negative harmony engendered. The Unity set evaluates the amount of closeness that is occurring. Two of the opposing cards in each set indicate a weaker occurrence, while the other two opposing cards indicate a stronger occurrence.
___CIRCUMSTANCE___
+ CONCORD - UNITY
|36-Freedom| == |29-Restriction| :lesser : |04-Briefly Together| == |10-Temporarily Apart|
|11-Accord | == |23-Dispute | :greater: |03-Joined | == |34-Separate |
The Manifestation group consists of two sets of four cards each, that describe accomplishment. While the sets of Progress and Ease are entities unto themselves, these two sets are grouped together because they share a common theme, which is Manifestation. The Progress set evaluates whether events are proceeding in a positive or negative direction. The Ease set evaluates how smoothly things are flowing. Two of the opposing cards in each set reflect an influence with weaker impact, while the other two opposing cards reflect a similar influence with stronger impact.
___MANIFESTATION___
+ PROGRESS - + EASE -
|07-Pleasant Report| == |14-Upsetting Report| :lesser : |27-Increase | == |24-Reduction|
|15-Succeeded | == |19-Thwarted | :greater: |26-Fortunateness| == |32-Adversity|
The Clarifiers cluster contains three card groups which represent differing types of amplifications regarding events. They reference adjacent cards, and are analogous to a weather report.
Adjacent Caution cards indicate both Deceptions and Secrets are simultaneously occurring, often as a proactive attempt to hide one or the other.
When Dependability or Respect cards are placed adjacent to another card in their respective set, it indicates that mixed signals are being read. This could be either because you were not processing the situation correctly, or because the subject is acting in a purely reactionary manner and is thus presently somewhat undefinable.
Adjacent Timing cards usually indicate a Medium length of time, although occasionally they are indicating that you should consecutively react in the manner typically suggested for the card.
Two cards warn that things are being concealed in an increasingly troublesome manner.
|08-Deception| - :lesser :
|21-Secret | - :greater:
The Perception group consists of two sets of four cards each, that describe impression. While the sets of Dependability and Respect are entities unto themselves, these two sets are grouped together because they share a common theme, which is Perception. The Dependability set reflects the amount of positive or negative reliability that is felt. The Respect set reflects the amount of positive or negative credence that is being given. Two of the opposing cards in each set reflect a weaker belief, while the other two opposing cards reflect a stronger belief.
___PERCEPTION___
+ DEPENDABILITY - + RESPECT -
|16-Cautious | == |18-Irresponsible| :lesser : |17-Acceptance| == |31-Suspicions|
|20-Stability| == |09-Change | :greater: |25-Trust | == |33-Doubt |
Two cards estimate an increasing relative length of time that an event takes to unfold.
|28-Short Time| :lesser :
|35-Long Time | :greater:
The Profiles cluster contains three card groups which represent differing methods of expression, and are less about what is happening in the story, and more about the characters themselves. Although they can represent stand-alone players, they often will function as a descriptor of an adjacent cards aura. When two or more of these cards are simultaneously exerting influence, their influences should be blended.
Two cards indicate traditional roles.
|05-Patriarchal Figure| == |06-Matriarchal Figure|
Four cards indicate major archetypal characteristics.
|30-Airy(Thinking) Disposition| ~~~ |22-Fiery(Doing) Disposition| ~~~ |13-Earthy(Having) Disposition| ~~~ |12-Watery(Feeling) Disposition|
Two cards identify the players in the melodrama.
|01-You| == |02-Them|
Because the subconscious effectively has only thirty-four cards to work with (cards three through thirtysix), the cards will exhibit variable meanings depending upon their context within any particular Spread. Please note that the deck being referenced is the "Original Kipper", a deck that is a relic of both its historic time and place. The card Titles are in Old German, and the crude illustrations reflect the Bavarian middle class environment and social mores of the late 1800s. Understanding the cards in the new Millennium requires replacing the imprecise (idiom/genteelism/admonition) German titles with more concise English titles, that are not just
01 - You (Querent)
02 - Them (Significant)
03 - Joined
04 - Briefly Together
05 - Patriarchal Figure
06 - Matriarchal Figure
07 - Pleasant Report
08 - Deception
09 - Change
10 - Temporarily Apart
11 - Accord
12 - Watery Disposition
13 - Earthy Disposition
14 - Upsetting Report
15 - Succeeded
16 - Cautious
17 - Acceptance
18 - Irresponsible
19 - Thwarted
20 - Stability
21 - Secret
22 - Fiery Disposition
23 - Dispute
24 - Reduction
25 - Trust
26 - Fortunateness
27 - Increase
28 - Short Time
29 - Restriction
30 - Airy Disposition
31 - Suspicions
32 - Adversity
33 - Doubt
34 - Separate
35 - Long Time
36 - Freedom
Note that the pink background context paragraph "|| In the past... ||" was included for historical edification only, and whatever it says has been entirely superceded by everything written above it.
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