Q&A about Agnes Kappler
Where do you live (city)? What are your general interests (what you like to do in your free time)
I live in Villejuif, a suburb of Paris.
In addition to work periods such as production, communication and management, I try to create empty periods for inspiration and creativity, as well as visiting cultural places and exhibitions.
As soon as possible I go back to nature and sports. And I appreciate very much the cinema, it is the popular art par excellence nowadays
What is your history with fortune telling and tarot?
I remember once playing with an oracle with a friend when I was a teenager.
Later I came across the Tarot de Marseille. At that time I was looking for guidance and values, but I really didn't want to join any established organization or spiritual movement. The tarot was perfect. It would raise the right question at the right time. So I started studying it.
Are you studying the history of cards?
A little bit. I'm actually very interested in art history. And it gives me some clues about the intentions of the card makers. But I am not a specialist. I read the publications of Mr. Depaulis, and other researchers too...
Do you use the cards for the sessions?
At the moment, I read the cards for myself or at the request of my family and friends.
Since the Renaissance, we see that France had developed a great interest and very skilled people for cartomancy. Nowadays, why does a woman study geology and then turn to the mystical world of 17th century tarot making and not geomancy or Ogham?
La Terre est un organisme vivant. Et le tarot?
Geology was because nature is my favorite place: I always go back to it. During my studies in the field: I observed all the elements: subsoil, soil, vegetation, climate, fauna, to understand the history of a place.
Studying the history of the planet Earth fascinated me: I realized the extension of time and space, became aware of the dramatic extinctions that led to the emergence of new life forms. I studied the fossils. It was a way to experience the theory of evolution.
Until this question becomes more and more obvious: "Why?
So I was more and more turned to the arts. Tarot being a popular work of art, it came naturally.
It is obvious that you put a lot of love into your games as you create them. We see special paper for easy mixing, handmade boxes, melted wax, golden edges... What is it that drives you to offer such great service to the modern world?
It's a vision I had to make the ultimate game in terms of feel, energy and quality. I want to offer a beautiful experience
What is your opinion on today's fortune-telling? We have different systems, many good books, many decks and a wide variety of choices, whereas in the past, fortune tellers had less than 10 decks to use?
I see two applications here:
"Cartomancy and divination" which aims at taking a decision or making a choice, by considering elements still unknown, thanks to a drawing.
And the work on oneself, which I consider a little more sacred. For example: the regular practice of reading a card without any particular expectation, will transform us little by little into a more conscious version of ourselves. The 2 visions co-exist nicely. They complement each other.
In your blog, you write that Tarot is like yoga and that the meaning is in the cards.
A little aside about yoga: it harmonizes body, energy and soul. This attitude helps in general, also with the readings. But this is not the purpose of yoga. The real purpose of yoga is to end suffering. The tarot cards help in the same way by working on oneself, by knowing oneself better one avoids unnecessary suffering to oneself and to others. Yoga and tarot are therefore very different, but their practice seems very complementary.
What do you think of 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?
The French occultists and the Golden Dawn society present themselves as the guardians of a very complex and sacred knowledge.
Perhaps a secret passed down from master to disciple, from Hicham: the architect of Solomon's Temple and keeper of the Ark of the Covenant. Many groups and organizations seem to be linked to the same source: Freemasonry, Order of the Temple, Compagnon des constructeurs de cathédrale (still exists in France today: as Compagnons du devoir and du Tour de France)
I have not studied the teachings of these traditions in depth, because it seems rather inaccessible: you need great prerequisites like: Kabbalah and astrology, numerology, alchemy... until I learn all this by heart, life goes on... and I feel better when I am in action.
For me the Tarot de Marseille is more universal. It was made to entertain and teach through play: it is accessible to everyone, adults and children, able to read or not?
The image communicates with the unconscious part of the brain and it triggers intuition. I really like that it works without thinking too much.
Concerning the meaning of the cards: contrary to the meaning of each card described by the occultists, for me, 1 card does not have only 1 meaning. On the contrary, it holds a multitude of points of view. And it is the intuition that guides us on the relevant information to retain at this moment.
Pensez-vous que nous avons deux systèmes différents ou que nous pouvons lire et dire les mêmes choses en utilisant des jeux différents?
Je vois principalement 3 groupes de tarot:
The ancient Playing Cards and traditional Tarot de Marseille Type 1 and Type 2 including the early Besançon and Flemish Tarots: they provide pure, clear and infinite information but require good preparation before reading. The meaning of the cards changes depending on the situation. Nothing is set in stone.
Tarot decks such as Eteilla, Golden Dawn, Rider Waite Smith and their variants: it's a way of containing intuition with an overall meaning of the card and crossing information with other sciences (such as astrology, kabbalah etc.). This can help. And they can have great designs. But you may get less information.
Oracles: they can have a very educational purpose about a specific culture, tradition or philosophy. It is an easier access to intuition and information. In addition, modern works of art can be very attractive to younger generations.
What is your favorite deck and Major Arcana card?
I love Jean Dodal's Tarot! Dodal and I grew up in the same small village near Lyon.
And my favorite card is Arcane 17: "le toille" is the opening of the heart, the opening to the world. I love it !
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Thank you Constantinos for your great questions. It was so inspiring to go back to the beginning. I was happy to share a bit of my views and philosophy. I hope it will be relevant to the readers.
