Okay, so I was wrestling with this crossword the other day. You know how it is, some clues just jump out, others make you stare blankly. This one was definitely in the “stare blankly” category for a hot minute. The clue was something along the lines of ‘luminary on certain divination cards’ or maybe it was more direct, like ‘star on some tarot cards‘. Yeah, that sounds more like it.
My first thought? Too literal, probably. I started thinking of, like, famous people on tarot cards? Which, no, that’s just silly. My brain then went to actual astronomy, but that didn’t feel right for a crossword puzzle vibe, unless it was super niche.
Then the “tarot cards” part really clicked. I’m no expert, but I’ve flipped through a deck or two. I have this old Rider-Waite deck somewhere, gathering dust mostly. I almost got up to find it, thinking I’d have to go through card by card. Talk about dedication for a crossword, right?
But then, ding!
A little lightbulb went off. There’s a card literally called ‘The Star’! It’s one of the big ones, Major Arcana, I think. Shows a figure pouring water, with a big ol’ star shining bright. So, ‘STAR’ could be the answer, if it was a short word they were looking for.
But the clue had that word ‘some’. ‘Star on some tarot cards’. That got me thinking. It wasn’t just The Star card. I started to picture other cards in my head. I’m pretty sure stars pop up as little symbols or background elements on other cards too, not just as the main feature. Like, maybe on the Moon card? Or even some of the suit cards, like Cups or Swords, sometimes have little celestial bits in the artwork.
- First, I remembered ‘The Star’ card is a definite.
- Second, I considered if ‘STAR’ itself as a symbol was the key, because of that “some cards” part.
- Third, I mentally scanned other cards I vaguely recalled for any star imagery.
So, the answer wasn’t necessarily the name of one specific card, but the actual object, the ‘star’ itself, because it appears on ‘some’ cards, not just the one named “The Star”. If the crossword slot was, say, four letters, ‘STAR’ would fit perfectly. If it was longer, maybe they wanted ‘THESTAR’ as a single word, but that “some” still made me lean towards the symbol itself being the answer.
I penciled in S-T-A-R. Checked it against the letters I already had from other words. Bingo! It fit. Felt good, man. Just one of those little crossword victories. Not world-changing, but satisfying to work through the clues and land on the answer. It’s funny how your brain can dig up these little bits of info when prodded by a good puzzle.