What the heck is Kipper? I had never heard of it until I was offered the opportunity to “The Art of Kipper Reading: Decoding Powerful Messages” by Alexandre Musruck and its accompanying oracle deck.
So, what is it? According to Musruck, “In 1890, in Germany, appeared the ‘Kipper Fortune-Telling Cards’, a deck that clearly reflects the founding period, an era in which Germany was in the economic boom. The illustration clearly shows that the deck is from Bavaria, a state in the southeast of Germany. The deck, like Lenormand, bears the name of famous fortune teller Madame Susanne Kipper, but here again there is no evidence that it was created by her or simply a marketing strategy. In 1920, the publishing rights went to the company FX Schmid and in 1996 on to the Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik.”
The art is delightful, depicting all kinds of situations, emotions, and events. And what’s truly interesting it that the cards are read by direction, like an actual story! In many ways, this makes the Kipper more intuitive right out of the box, on the other hand, the accompanying book is VERY thick because each card has a different interpretation depending on what cards around it. There are 3 card readings, 5 card readings, 9 card readings, and most impressively, the Grand Tableau which utilizes the entire deck of 36 cards.
Alexandre Musruck did an excellent job of introducing me to the divination method of Kipper. He, with Red Feather Mind, Body, Spirit packaged up a beautiful deck, and he wrote an easy to comprehend accompanying book. If you want to learn about Kipper, you’ll want to check this out!
You can learn more here. Deck.
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I don’t know where to begin with this review. I have received, and purchased, many tarot and oracle decks throughout the years, but I don’t think I have ever learned as much as I did from “The Hoodoo Tarot” by Tayannah Lee McQuillar.
Gullah Jack has a noose around his neck, but his face is serene. He has a Kongo cosmogram as his third eye.
Smoke cleansing is a great way you can use the power of scent to prepare your energy for a tarot reading. Different forms of smoke cleansing have been used in cultures all over the world for centuries. In Catholicism, censers filled with smoking incense are swung back and forth during some liturgical services. Smudging is a practice common in many Indigenous cul¬tures that involves burning plants (commonly sage) in an abalone shell and fanning the smoke with a feather. In recent years, people have often used the term “smudging” incorrectly to refer to the practice of simply burning sage. The actual act of smudging is a sacred Indigenous ritual. If you’re not of a culture that traditionally practices smudging, please use terms like “smoke cleansing” or “aroma cleansing” to refer to your own sacred smoke practice.
About Minerva Siegel:
Over the years I’ve heard many stories about the origin of the tarot. Perhaps I’m not well read, or maybe I never dug far enough, but I don’t recall ever hearing about Mithraic origins. Not until “Magian Tarok”. Flowers explores the Major Arcana through the prism of Mithraic symbolism. Mithraism is a mystery cult that’s roots run through most of the ancient world. “Magian Tarok” does a great job explaining and exploring the subject.
It’s that time again folks! That time when I look back at a year of articles and remind you about the best of the best things I wrote about this year. Looking at the list you’ll realize that not every item came out in 2019. My favorite things list is a recap of what I read or used in 2019, not necessarily a thing that released in 2019. So why now? Why not the end of December, or the beginning of January? Because I like to share my favorites while you still have time to buy them as gifts for people, or yourself.
Crystals: A Guide to Using the Crystal Compass for Energy, Healing, and Reclaiming Your Power by Aisha Amarfio
One Truth and One Spirit: Aleister Crowley’s Spiritual Legacy by Keith Readdy
Since this is my favorite things, but also a shopping list, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that The Magical Buffet has a bunch of fun merchandise, as well as a vintage witch collection of merchandise for sale now! The witchy collection goes away December 31, 2019.
Let’s be real, I wanted to review “Chibi Anime Angel Cards” because they’re freakin’ adorable. Illustrator Julia Sayegh Ezarani Guimaraes does a fantastic job of capturing the short, round, chibi anime style! You just want to reach through the card and pinch those cute angelic cheeks! That said, I honestly figured these cards were all flash and no substance. Or maybe more like all cute and no substance. Guess what? I was wrong.
If there is one thing I have clearly established here on The Magical Buffet, it’s that I love food. Full stop. End of story. Obviously, this meant that given the opportunity to try out the “Witches’ Kitchen Oracle Cards” I was all in! And honestly, this exceeded expectations.
“The Enchanted Love Tarot” is based on a traditional tarot deck, except it has been shot by Cupid’s arrow. You have the major arcana, but the minor arcana are roses (as fire, action, batons, wands, or clubs), wings (as air, ideas, swords, or spades), shells (as water, emotions, cups, or hearts), and gems (as earth, resources, coins, or pentacles). The romance factor is amped way up by the beautiful collage art by Amy Zerner. As per usual, Red Feather Mind, Body Spirit has done a fantastic job packaging this deck. An attractive, oversized, cardboard box with a magnetic closure houses the accompanying book, a 163 full color pages in a trade paperback that fits into the box perfectly. My only picky complaint is that the card stock is rather flimsy. It does make the deck easier to shuffle, but I do worry about its durability.
The book that comes with the deck provides so much more than your usual card meanings and suggested card spreads (although it does have them). The author, Monte Farber, is the husband to the deck’s artist, Amy Zerner, and their marriage inspire the deck and book. So included in the book are love spells and “The ABCs of True Love”.
After reading the 144-page, paperback book that comes with the deck I almost feel like I understand astrology. The companion book shows the symbols for astrological signs and planets and qualities associated with the Houses, planets, and signs (an important chart in the book). Like most companion books for oracle/tarot decks each card is given its own section with detailed description and meaning.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one problem. In the past I have extolled upon the high quality of Schiffer Publishing/Red Feather Mind, Body, Spirit. The quality of their boxes and companion books have always been top notch. With the “Oracle of the Radiant Sun” however, the packaging is excellent, the companion book is wonderful, the cards, though beautiful, are printed on a noticeably flimsy card stock. I’m not sure of the reasoning for this, but it is noticeable, even to my non-tarot reading husband. 
So darn many of you expressed an interest in this book when I shared it on social media, and you were all right to be excited. “Tarot for the Fiction Writer: How 78 Cards Can Take You From Idea to Publication” by Paula Chaffee Scardamalia was I book I had been anxiously anticipating.