Katina's Deck

I have a new love in my life... The Deste deck. :-)

Some time ago a friend posted pictures of her "fortune telling themed junk journal", and I wanted to have my own.
So I started looking for images to be used as decoration.
Found an eBay listing about "Greek tarot, oracle and fortune telling decks". Really nice ones, the seller had several listings, with several decks in each, but way too expensive for me. Anyway, one of these decks was Katina's Deste. Deste means deck of cards, a pile, but it has become to stand for this specific oracle deck.
I started looking for information about this deck. It looked interesting. I found some videos on YouTube. (The ones everyone else English speaking person finds, from Demetra, Chris and Kelly.)

Now, I know some (very little) Greek and Turkish, and I am quite proficient in using Google Translate. So I found this: Katina Fortune Telling Cards
 She says that the deck is sentient and will find you. That it will make the meeting between you and it happen. That somehow the events in your life lead you to it. The deck chooses you. You don't choose it. If it hasn't chosen you, and you somehow "force" your way to it - like, for example, you read my blog, and are interested in divination, and find this deck interesting, you will order the deck (many ways of getting it, like Amazon.com), and watch the videos and join the Facebook group and do your best to understand, but the deck didn't invite you - it won't open for you, and it will be just a deck of cards. Of course you can use it, and will get something, but if it wants to work with you, you will get everything. It is seriously powerful.

Now, a true invitation is more than just finding out about the deck as another way of divination. People have been dreaming about the deck. People feel they know it already when they see it. People get "accidental scrying experience" when they touch the cards. You are given the deck without any action from your side. 

Deste also arranges that you will get a teacher, you will come into contact with other "Destructors" or "Desticis" (Deck Creator or Collector, Manifester, really, because the Deck isn't created, it is made into reality, someone channels the images; or Deck Reader), and other decks. (A bit like Crystal Skulls, here... :-D)

Also, there is an apprentice period. The deck will test you, your perseverance, your aptitude, your obedience and respect... if it finds you worthy, it will start teaching you.
I mean... It is communicating with me. And I am moved to tears by my awe and gratitude. Seriously. I mean... I am almost 50, a middle-aged woman, who has studied divination since I was 10. I am a hereditary witch of an old Finnish strain. I should know this already. And it's "just a deck of cards". It's not a sentient entity. But... the deck of cards is just a... pale manifestation of the Deck. The Deck itself is somewhere out there, and the pieces of cardstock are a means of communication manifested by the need.

Now, to some people this might feel very scary and "demons are trying to contact you!!" kind of thing, but I know when demons are trying to contact me and this is not it. But, you don't need to listen to me, listen to your own guts and heart. They will tell you what is true.

I have found that the deck is very kind, tolerant, patient and forgiving. As long as you respect it and are willing to learn, it will teach you, but it also has a sense of humor. It will "punish" you a little every time you get a bit cocky and start thinking "it's just a deck of cards, and I will use it as I like". :-D

I love this deck. It's like a long gone ancestor trying to contact me. Like a spirit guide.

Now, I want to add some cards to this deck. That is the significator card. I want to leave the personnage of the deck to Deste to tell me things.
These are significators from the Kazanlar deck. I want something like that.

Him and Her Kazanlar Style

Russian Solitaire tiles

Some time ago (1992) there was a "new and interesting deck of cards" introduced to the Western market. Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards.

Now, this "deck" didn't got much popularity, because people were confused by the use of words like "cards" and "deck". These aren't cards or a deck of cards. These are tiles. This is more like a puzzle than a tarot layout. Some people find that very confusing and difficult, don't get at all how to read these, find the swirling unnecessary complication and stupid. To me this appeals a lot, and I am very impressed by how much some simple symbols say!

In this deck there are 25 tiles divided in four, fours are made of half of a picture. The divination is akin to reading tea leaves. You lay out the tiles in a square, five by five, and see if any images are completed. If not, you didn't get that symbol in "your teacup". Some times you get no symbols at all. It's like picking an empty rune in rune casting. It's not a good day to divine, you are breaking rules and asking the same question too soon, or there just isn't anything of importance to be told to you.

The symbols are somewhat similar to the LeNormand symbols, but some are different, even totally opposite. I could post a shortlist of the meanings, but I won't, because that would be infringing copyright, because miss Touchkoff has written her own version and understanding of the symbols, they are not exactly like the Russian general divinatory symbols.
(BTW; her name sounds more like toots-coff than touch-khov. It's t, ou like in you, ch and k like in Chekhov, off like in off - so it's not "ov" like in Chekhov, but "off". Actually it's exactly like in Chekhov, but she chose to write it "off", so f it is. In fact, it would be better to put in the f in Chekhov as well. Because that's how Russians pronounce the -ov, -of, -off ending of their names.)

Now, this doesn't really matter, if you have learned anything from this blog :-D YOU create your symbols. The universe will align to suit you, and will force the tiles to mean what you think they mean... But - I would recommend you get the book to learn the "correct" meaning of the symbols. After all, the "deck" creators made it with intention, and that matters. It might take some time for the universe to adjust and assimilate this deck to your world of symbols. Also, I think it's interesting to create new associations and increase one's collection of symbols.

There are several good reviews of this deck and some general advice on how to use it.
Layout and sample reading
How to Do a Reading
and here is an interactive free layout online - it shuffles and lays out the cards for you, and you can turn the cards in place to get the symbols, but it doesn't tell you what the cards mean.

Why I am talking about Russian solitaire tiles is that this is an actual Russian divination method, and they call it "solitaire" or "patience". And there are A LOT of different decks produced in Russia...
Take a look at this thread: They are posting photos of the different decks and lists of the meanings of the symbols. It's in Russian, but you can google translate it, if you wish.

Now, I have learned so much about this divination method lately, and would like to share with you some of my insights and ideas.

It matters how much you need to move the cards to get the symbols.
If the symbols come upright and connected right away, this is a strong symbol, important message, and a significant part of the answer.
If the symbols are broken, this implies blockage or denial, someone is trying to hide things.

You read the symbols in order - from left upper corner to right down corner, from left to right.  Note that you read the SYMBOLS, not the TILES - there are five rows of TILES, 9 rows of SYMBOLS.

Horizontal rows trump the vertical ones - so if a card would make a symbol both horizontally and vertically, you make the horizontal symbol and read the vertical symbol as something that would have happened if the horizontal symbol hadn't happened.

If there are tiles that would make a symbol but are separated in the same column or row, it means that that could have happened, was about to happen, but didn't, won't. For example, there is the ring in the first tile on the row, and also on the fourth tile, it means that the person thought of proposing but changed his/her mind.

Also, the tiles next to a connected symbol offer more information about the situation. Now, the images on cards that make connections are always the same, BUT THEY ARE NOT IN THE SAME POSITIONS ON THE LAYOUT NOR TO THE CARDS NEXT TO THEM.
This is why the edge cards are important, THE “CARD NEXT TO THEM” IS NOTHING. The empty rune. Void.

I mean... I just love divination! The stories that are being told are so layered and complex, and all you have are some symbols! :-D

Here's another sample reading... wow.