Here we have a basic guide to start you on your Kipper journey it really is the basic basics that you need to get started, the foundation upon which you will grow your kipper reads. The best way to learn Kipper is to be open to learning a system (not just card meanings). If you would like more advanced information I would recommend my book and YouTube Channel where I comprehensively explain the Bavarian Kipper Reading Method (TM).
If you are not a video person, don't worry, I will run through a few of the basic techniques that you need to start your journey.
Kipper Cards are read directionally, that means that every card has a directional quality (not just the characters but ALL cards). Some cards are stop cards which act like punctuation in our reads and others have a movement or directionality that moves the read along or gives us more information. See the card meanings section for each card:
MAIN CHARACTERS
The first two cards in a Kipper deck form the basis of our reads, they are our starter cards and also the cards to which we look to find out how the other cards in the deck are behaving! It is easiest when starting to read Kipper to pull out your Main Character focus card before you begin and practice the first technique of Auspicious versus Inauspicious reads. The Main Character will always be the person you are reading for and their closest partner in the theme of the read. For example, in a love read MC1 can be my Querent (the person asking the question) making MC2 his partner (male or female) or his future partner (again male or female) or his "Mr or Mrs Right" that is to say his "desired partner". However, on a work read we could be seeing MC2 being the Querent and MC1 being her closest colleague or "work husband or wife". Always read your cards contextually - no sloppy questions either!
AUSPICIOUS VERSUS INAUSPICIOUS
We can see that our Main Characters are looking at each other, he faces right, she faces left, the cards that sit ahead of them (this means in their line of sight - what they can see in front go them) are considered to be auspicious cards.
Auspicious means fortunate - the cards that fall ahead of our Main Characters are "manageable" or fortunate events in their situation.
Example of an auspicious read:
All cards are ahead of our MC and auspicious. We start reading with the first card in front of him and move along the line taking into account the movements shown.
The cards ahead of the Main Character are easy peasy lemon squeezy, even the difficult cards seem less challenging when they are in this placement. 24. Theft for example will show a retrievable loss when ahead of the MC.
Inauspicious placement is where the cards are behind the Main Characters back, This placement makes the cards more difficult for the querent and gives them a more "obstacle" like feel - 24. Theft behind the main character is, for example, an irretrievable loss!
Consider the cards ahead as doable and the ones behind their back as challenging.
An example of Inauspicious placement:
The same cards again but this time behind his back. This turns the three cards into more difficult reads and something that is challenging or not fortuitous for the Querent.
You will note that the Main Character 1 faces left, had I have had a female querent I would use Main Character 2 and read from her nose forward i.e. in the opposite direction to our Main Character 1.
THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS
The Kipper Cards are quite adept at reading a persons state of mind and their emotional state. You can place cards above and below a Main Character to find out what they are thinking and feeling!
HOW TO READ
To begin with I would suggest you always read using the Querent's Main Character, it will give you an understanding of what the placements mean and how to process a read. When the Main Character is present then we always read the card closest to their Main Character as the first occurrence, the timescale then moves along the line until you reach the card furthest away. Along the read you will connect any connector cards in a read using their flanking cards (see card descriptions for more information) and use any movement cards to advise you which way the read is flowing. On top of this, the cards that have a " cause and effect " (again see the card descriptions if you are unsure) will give you more information!
Think practically, solve the Kipper puzzle laid in front of you and (especially if you are a Lenormand reader) please do not start to create "rigid" combinations with the cards, the Kipper cards flow in a story starting at the Main Character and moving along as the movement shows.
You really need my book - not plugging (see no link here LOL) but really and truly if you want to learn Kipper correctly then you should learn the Bavarian Kipper Reading Method (TM) explained at length in my book.
See my blogs on Card Meanings and Small Spreads to get you started!
