Spreads:

The Kipper Cards are a specialized forecasting system that provide insight into a Dating Game. Avoid using the Kipper for answering questions about business or civic matters (unless a "courtship" is involved), and instead use it for questions pertaining to your love life. Always bear in mind that in matters of the heart especially, your agenda may not be their agenda, and as such you may receive answers you didn't want to see.

It is claimed that anything touched by a person will absorb a little of that persons aura. If this is what you believe, then it is a good idea to "clear" newly acquired decks before their first use, and to cursorily clear the cards between readings. Whether or not you permit a querent to touch your cards is a personal choice (it opens the cards to the possibility of being damaged or soiled), but allowing physical contact, if even just for pointing or pile cutting, is encouraged for absorptive reasons.

As with other predictive card systems, final shuffles should be blind overhand shuffles. When you read a Spread, it is the spot where a card is placed in the Spread that is of importance. Therefore, before you lay a Spread, you must be mindful about what each spot in the particular Spread is designated to be representing, so that the cards filling each spot can be subconsciously selected to reveal a valid answer. Most querents appreciate if you begin by first reading their Spread as a flowing overview paragraph, before explicating individual card details.

Kipper cards are always read upright inside of Spreads (card 08 often fulfils the role of a "reversal" aspect), which can be either Tableaus or Strings. Cards falling to the left of a focus card are usually seen as being in the past, while those to the right of a focus card are seen as being in the future. Each card will also evince a Yes, No, or Maybe leaning. This video introduces the traditional Kipper Spreads: Lesson 5 - Choosing a Spread

Relationships are dynamic, and feelings can shift either slowly (i.e., the honeymoon glow is fading) or in an instant (i.e., and now for the good news). Refer to the Spreads time line. When "similar" cards are linked in a Spread, it usually indicates an intensity shift is occurring over time. When "opposing" cards are linked in a Spread, it typically indicates a consecutive swing experience of both influences.

NOTE: In recent times card "facing" has been used by some Spread readers. While it is generally considered an invalid practice, the silent video "Kipper Card Facing" can help you to decide for yourself.


All Card

The most traditional of the Kipper Spreads is this All Card Spread variant, which uses all thirty-six of the Kipper cards laid out in a rectangular tableau.

Begin the Spread by thoroughly overhand shuffling the deck face down. After shuffling, divide the deck into 3 relatively even piles, laying the lower portion on the left, the middle portion in the middle, and the upper portion on the right. Now flip these piles over to reveal the bottom card in each pile (see illustration). If any cards are reversed, spin them so they are upright.

Three Card Piles

The interaction occurring between these three cards in this string Spread reveals an overarching "Motif" hanging over the reading, and thus will color the remainder of the reading.

Now flip the piles back over, and re-stack them together with the lower pile on the bottom, the middle pile in the middle, and the upper pile on the top. Start peeling cards off from the top of this stack consecutively, turning each card face up to build a rectangular tableau of nine columns wide by four rows high (see the below illustration for card laydown order). If any cards are reversed, spin them so they are upright.

36 Card Four Row Tableau

The first card laid down is an indicator of the overall "Theme" that this Spread decided it wishes to discuss regarding the querent. It should be pondered upon (including how the Motif is coloring it) before the other cards are read.

Now decide upon and find the appropriate card that indicates the Querent (almost always "You" card 02). Focus primarily on reading the eight cards immediately surrounding this card. Note that due to the Querent cards position, not all eight cards may be displayed (an important factor, as this skews the emphasis of the reading towards a particular direction). The three cards to the left talk of the past, the three cards to the right talk of the possible future, while the card above and below talk of the present. The four cards immediately diagonal from the Querent card, while primarily subordinate and thus only shading the meaning of their adjacent card horizontal of the Querent card, will also tend to shade the meaning of their adjacent card vertical of the Querent card.

The Footing card below the Querent card is considered to indicate a situation that is currently being quashed by the querent. Pay particular attention to the Heading card directly above the Querent card, as it is considered to be the key developing situation that the querent is currently pointing towards. Note that either or both of these situations may be in their infancy, and thus barely perceptible to the querent.

How other cards in the Spread are interacting with the Querent card can be gleaned by examining all of the cards aligned vertically, horizontally, and to a minor extent diagonally of the Querent card. Upon these cards is where the three overarching motif cards will have the most influence.

Cards on the vertical column have the strongest influences, as they are directly affecting what is happening in the present. Any cards below the Footing card are qualifiers to the footing card, while any cards above the Heading card are notable qualifiers to the heading card.

Cards on the horizontal row are examined from far left to far right. Cards flowing inwards from the left towards the Querent card reveal how the past moved towards the Querent card to reach the present, while the cards flowing away from the Querent card towards the right indicate how the future might develop from the present.

As already noted, cards on the diagonals in relation to the Querent card are only subordinate shadings affecting the cards on the horizontal row. Cards flowing diagonally inwards from the left towards the Querent card reveal how the past moved towards the Querent card to reach the present, while the cards flowing diagonally away from the Querent card towards the right indicate how the future might develop from the present.

* At the end of the reading you could optionally gather clues about influences which may be affecting any of the other Profile cards in the Spread (e.g., such as card 01, plus potentially cards 05, 06, 12, 13, 22, or 30). Read only the eight cards immediately surrounding this Profile card. The readings Motif might have some influence, but never the readings Theme card.


Focus Card

The Focus Card Spread is another traditional Kipper Spread. In its full form it uses all 36 cards laid out in a bulls eye pattern, and is intended for revealing the circumstances surrounding a Kipper person of interest.

Begin the Spread by thumbing through the deck to find the appropriate character describing card that you wish to have as the Focus (most likely the "You" card 02), then lay this first card down face up and upright. Next thoroughly face down overhand shuffle the remaining cards in the deck.

After shuffling, start peeling cards off from the top of deck consecutively, turning each card face up to build the bulls eye tableau (carefully examine the below illustration to understand the criss-cross card lay down pattern). If any cards are reversed, spin them so they are upright. The first cards laid will form the inner ring, the next group of cards laid will form the outer ring, and the last group of cards laid will form the border. The card from the bottom of the deck is the bulls eye, and this last card is laid down on top of the Focus Person card in the very center of the tableau.

36 Card Five Row Tableau

The Spread is read by evaluating cards based upon their relative linear distance from the Focus card. The farther away from the Focus card (the bulls eye card being closest), the weaker that cards influence will be upon the Focus card. In many cases the reader may not have to look much beyond the innermost ring, as most cards lying beyond are typically insignificant to the reading.

** Because the answer often presents itself quickly, most readers will abbreviate this Spreads construction, partially building the tableau using only ten cards, before they begin their reading (e.g., first the selected Focus card, next the ring formed from first eight cards drawn from the top of the deck, and finally the bulls eye card taken from the bottom of the deck). Should it be necessary, the reader can always later build the outer rings from the cards still undrawn from the deck.


Master Card

This is a story telling Kipper tableau Spread from the end of the last century, although most people have only become aware of it thanks to the Internet. It is extremely unique, and as such it has found favor with those who feel the traditional Kipper Spreads are too similar to those used by Lenormand readers (some readers like the idea of having a "signature" Spread style for each of the forecasting systems).

An example interpretation of a Master Card Spread is covered in this video: Lesson 4 - A Spread Speaks

Cards 01, 02, 03, 04, 11, 16, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 28 are the cards most commonly designated as the Master Cards by the majority of the current Internet community (note that card 19 is handled slightly differently during Spread construction). However, using the following cards as Master Cards will probably produce better results (note that now card 15 is handled the same as card 19):

          01-Them             02-You
          03-Joined           11-Accord
          15-Succeeded        19-Thwarted
          20-Stability        25-Trust
          26-Fortunateness    32-Adversity

Begin the Spread by thoroughly overhand shuffling the deck face down. Cut from the top of the face down deck a small chunk of exactly 3 cards. Flip this chunk face up, and lay it down to form your "draw" pile.

Look at the top card of this newly set down chunk. If this card is not a Master Card, repeat the process of cutting another 3 card chunk from the deck, turning it face up, and setting it atop of the draw pile. If after adding this new chunk to the draw pile the top card is still not a Master Card, repeat the cutting process once again (if you exhaust the deck without a Master Card ever appearing, the reading is void).

Should the top card of a new chunk added to the draw pile be a Master Card, remove this Master Card from the draw pile and place it as the start of a right-most column in your Spread. If that placed Master Card was card 15 or 19, you are now finished with this column, and you again go back to cutting another 3 card chunk from the deck.

If that placed Master Card was instead any other Master Card; go back to the draw pile, take whatever face up card is now on the top, and place it in the column below the just placed Master Card in the Spread.

If this newly placed drawn card was either a regular card, or Master Card 15 or 19, the column is now finished, and you again go back to cutting another 3 card chunk from the deck. If instead this newly placed drawn card was any other Master Card, you then repeat the process of going back to the draw pile, taking whatever face up card is now on the top, and placing it in the column below the previously drawn card you just placed.

Continue drawing and placing cards into the column until the lastly placed drawn card is either a regular card, or Master Card 15 or 19, at which point the column is now finished, and you again go back to cutting another 3 card chunk from the deck. Should you ever exhaust all the cards in the draw pile before your next cut, the column you are building is also considered finished.

You continue cutting chunks from the deck until the deck is exhausted. Now after you have finished with processing the last cut placed atop the draw pile, and without shuffling, flip the draw pile over so it is now face down. This pile will become your new deck from which you will cut chunks.

Repeat the process of cutting from the deck as before. Should however the last cut from this new deck be less than 3 cards, treat it as if it was 3 cards. When this new deck is exhausted and you have finished processing the last cut chunk, the Spread is finished.

Reading is begun by choosing a card in the Spread that is to represent this Querent. In nearly every situation this will be "You" card 02. However due to that card not appearing in the Spread, or for some other pressing reason, another card that fits the characteristics of the Querent can instead be designated to represent this querent.

Next you will need to locate a card that represents the Significant in this inquiry. While often this will be the generic "Them" card 01, it can be any card that suitably reflects the characteristic of the Significant.

Now note the relative distance between the two cards, as card proximities affect the reading. Note also the column that the Significant resides in, as this will often reveal something about the Significant.

Cards located on an exact horizontal or vertical vector from the Querent card will have a stronger influence than cards on other vectors. Cards located on an exact diagonal vector from the Querent card will have a lesser influence than those on a horizontal and vertical vector, but still more than cards on other vectors.

Cards in the same Column as the Querent card refer to the Present. Cards in all the columns to the left of the Querent cards column refer to the Past. Cards in successive columns to the right of the Querent cards column refer to potential Future events (how distant in never defined), with each further column to the right representing the relative sequence of events.

All of the cards in the Past columns are looked upon as a whole, to reveal what has led up to the Present columns events. These cards will help reveal the actual background as to why the querents question is being asked. If there are no Past columns, this indicates that what is occurring in the Present column holds particular importance for the reading.

Any cards vertically Above the Querent card indicate what the querent is currently positively/negatively projecting outward (including great hopes or body language). Any cards vertically Below the Querent card indicate what things are currently positively/negatively anchoring the querent down (either real, or just perceptions).

How events will possibly play out is revealed in the Future columns. Should there not be any Future columns, this indicates that what is happening in the present is of high importance and must be resolved first. First all the cards in the future are examined to determine if there is a pattern occurring, including noting intervening cards and card natures. Afterwards each consecutive Future column is examined, advancing column by column to the right.