Blog interview with Agnès Kappler
About Agnès Kappler: Where do you live (city)? What are your general interests? (What you like to do in your free time)
I live in the Paris suburbs of Villejuif. What makes me feel good above all is playing with my daughter and spending time in contact with nature. Cinema and television series come just after!
Do you study the history of maps?
A little. Actually I'm very interested in the history of the arts. And that gives me some clues about the card makers' intentions. But I'm not a specialist.
Do you use the cards for the sessions?
I read cards for myself or at the request of family and friends. I began to learn the use of the Tarot from Laurent EDOUARD and little by little used it professionally in order to support clients in the design of their tailor-made deck.
You were a geologist, why this reconversion to Tarot rather than any other esoteric discipline?
I chose to study geology because nature is my favorite place: I always recharge my batteries there. And then geology brought me a lot in a philosophical way, it was a way of experimenting with the theory of evolution and also of understanding scales of time and space of which we are usually not aware. Then, I lost my Mom when I was a young adult and that made me want to know more about the cause of life and also I understood that time is a precious resource, so I I made choices and the geologist gradually transformed into an artist. Tarot being a work of art, it came naturally to my field of study and it was love at first sight!
What drives you to bring handcrafted quality games to the modern world?
It's a vision that I had in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris: that of using an authentic game, the colors and the feel of the paper were important. Like many Tarot readers, I have studied many decks to finally use the ones that speak to me best. These are the meaningful games that I want to make for my clients.
What is your opinion on fortune telling today?
In my view, it is a way to help people make a more informed decision by taking into consideration parts of the unknown of the unconscious. Usually for an action or choice. (but that has nothing to do with the future)
What do you think about the meanings of the Tarot de Marseille cards?
As for the meanings of the cards… well, everyone has their own meaning. For me, 1 card does not have 1 single meaning. On the contrary, it holds a multitude of points of view.
What do you think about the change in the meaning of the cards of the French occultists, who were studied by the members of Golden Dawn and created the Rider-Waite-Smith and the Thoth Tarot?
Quite honestly, I haven't studied the meanings of the French occultists much except those of Oswald Wirth. I find that the world has changed so much that we now have to adapt these ideas and go back to basics. The meanings of the tarot cards of Rider Waite and Thot are also based on complex and supposedly secret esoteric theses which, to be properly used, require numerous prerequisites in terms of Knowledge such as: Kabbalah and astrology, numerology , alchemy, the Free-Macons course… It seems almost inaccessible. As a result, a majority of users refer to the meaning of the instructions and the interpretation can quickly become fixed. For those who are currently following an esoteric path, they find in these games a wonderful study support.
Do you think we have two different systems or that we can read and say the same things using different games?
I would have difficulty answering this delicate question. Because for a given question, the moment is also very important. It is necessary to take into account the consultant/tarot reader/moment synchronicity, and this synchronicity is difficult to reproduce to compare the results with different games, it is difficult to decide this question at the border between knowledge and beliefs. On the other hand, I can offer you this more general vision on the types of games:
I mainly see 3 groups of cards: divinatory, esoteric and initiatory cards:
- A rather divinatory set including Oracles and classic playing cards used in cartomancy especially to predict the future (with all the risks that divinatory practice entails)
- Esoteric tarot cards such as the great Belline tarot, the Papus Bohemian Tarot, the great Eteilla tarot, the Oswald Wirth Tarot and the creations of the Golden Dawn, Rider Waite Smith, Thoth… They are at the origin of the use of tarot for a deeper purpose than just divination. At the same time, they are the illustration of ancient esoteric texts (Book of Thoth, Book of Hermes, Book of Henoch) and they express the insatiable quest for spirituality in the 19th century, a troubled era, in search of meaning and understanding of a world in the midst of revolution. These 19th and 20th century tarots were all inspired by the Italian Renaissance Tarots. We use them to nourish philosophical reflection, find inspiration and values useful for our personal development. Of course, their symbolic language also allows them to be used for divination.
- Finally, we have the traditional Marseille tarot cards. These are a priori card games because there was indeed a rule of the Tarot game. They developed between the 15th and 18th centuries following the invention of printing and the arrival of paper in Europe. These games brought together all popular beliefs and represented royal families, public and political figures. To be attractive they had to convey images and ideas understood by everyone and without text. Thus, they compile a very rich symbolic vocabulary, and directly connected to the collective imagination of the time. There we find the culture of companionship (because they are made by companions and master craftsmen), religious symbolism, the symbolism of ancient mythology and certainly references to the paganism of the time. In addition to the pleasure of playing with these cards, their pictorial richness is capable of triggering awareness and in this way the traditional Marseille tarot cards are absolutely unique in their kind. They encourage work on oneself, without prior esoteric knowledge and also allow divination. In short, they do everything, and even in the 21st century they continue to be used. In my opinion, these are initiatory games.
What is your favorite Tarot and your favorite major arcana card?
I love Jean Dodal's Tarot! Dodal, originally Jean Dodat, grew up in this small village near Lyon where I went to school. And my favorite major arcana, the one that opens the heart, is Arcana 17: The Star.
Thank you Constantinos for your nice questions. It was so inspiring to look back at the beginning. I was happy to share a little of my views and philosophy. I hope this will be relevant to readers.