I've been seeing commentary online for awhile now stating that directions in Ciro Marchetti's wonderful Fin de Siècle Kipper are "not easily discerned." Must people be spoon fed at every step? Has anyone tried looking at the cards? O ye generation of vipers, how long must I bear with thee? Sheesh. 😂
Directions in the Fin de Siècle are as easily seen as they are in the Originals.
1. Main Male: Yes, he's looking straight at you. But he stands facing left. Therefore, the card can be read as facing left.
2. Main Female: Right.
3. Marriage: No clear direction. (But the same can be said of this card in the Original, as the man and woman are facing each other.
4. Courtship: Again, no clear direction.
5. Mature Man: He faces left. Be aware, though, that he glances to the right, and his finger points to the card below him. All of this can be useful in a reading.
6. Mature Female: Inclines her head to the left.
7. Message: Both the drawer and the envelope open to the right.
8. False Person: Right.
9. Change: The car faces right.
10. Journey: The train moves to the left. The man in the foreground also faces left.
11. Sudden Wealth: The coins spill down to the card below.
12. Privileged Lady: Left. But again, watch her eyes.
13. Wealthy Man: He's inclined to the left.
14. Message of Concern: Right.
15. Lovers: Like 3 and 4, no direction.
16. Thoughts: Left.
17. Gift: Left.
18. Child: Right. Pay attention to the card above, as well.
19. Coffin: Opens to the right, the rose in the glass faces right, the near corner points right.
20. House: No direction.
21. Family Room: The portraits on the wall face right.
22. Official Person: Left.
23. Court House: Right.
24: Thief: Two out of the three people depicted on this card face left. Majority rules.
25. High Honor: Right.
26. Great Fortune: Left. But the card below stands to benefit most.
27. Unexpected Income: Queen Victoria faces left.
28. Expectation: Left.
29: Imprisonment: Right.
30. Judication: Right. Look at the Judge.
31. Bad Health: Right. Depending on context, you can also read this from the patient's POV, i.e., left.
32. Despair: Right.
33. Concern: Left.
34. Occupation: Right.
35. Pathway: The path curves and meanders, with no set left or right.
36. Distant Horizons: Both the gull and the ship are clearly moving to the right.
37. Poverty: No direction, though you could read the cat and rat as right if needed.
38. Toil & Labour: Right.
39: Community: Not really directional. The people face various directions.
So you see the directions are no less clear than those in the Originals. This deck is perfectly fine for beginners, as well as more experienced readers. Just don't let facing directions shove you around the board, or fall into the trap of relying solely on english language sources. German websites are generally best for Kipper, and we do have Google Translate at our fingertips. Also highly recommended: Hildegard Leiding's Leiding Wahrsagekarten, Buch 1 & Buch 2.
