So, the other day, I decided to tackle this “tarot card group nyt crossword” that had been sitting on my “to-do” pile for ages. You know how it is, you save these things thinking, “Oh, this’ll be a fun little challenge,” and then life happens. Anyway, I finally brewed a strong coffee and sat down, ready to feel smart.
I figured, tarot cards, right? How hard can it be? I’ve flipped through a deck or two in my time. Seen ’em in movies. Pretty straightforward, I thought. The first few clues weren’t too bad. Stuff like “Major Arcana traveler” – pretty sure that was THE FOOL, or something along those lines. Got that one. Felt a little smug, not gonna lie.
Then Came the “Group” Part
But then the “group” aspect started to really mess with me. It wasn’t just about individual cards. The clues were hinting at collections, or themes, or I don’t even know what. One clue was something like “A somber gathering of blades.” My first thought was, okay, SWORDS. But what kind of gathering? A specific number? A feeling? The grid had space for more than just “SWORDS.” I was scratching my head, I tell ya.
I started thinking, are they grouping them by suits? Like, all the PENTACLES clues in one corner? Or maybe by meaning? “Cards signifying new ventures” – that could be a whole bunch of ’em. The NYT loves to be clever, sometimes a little too clever for its own good, if you ask me. It felt like they were expecting me to be some kind of tarot scholar, not just someone who likes a good word puzzle.
I spent a good hour just staring at a few intersecting clues, convinced there was some grand, overarching tarot conspiracy I was missing. I even pulled out an old, dusty tarot guidebook I had – don’t judge, everyone goes through a phase, right? Flipped through it, looking for common “groups” or “spreads” that might fit. It kinda helped, but also kinda made it worse because then I had too many ideas.
The worst was a section in the bottom right. It clearly wanted a “group” of cards, probably three or four, that shared some obscure symbolic connection. The kind of thing only someone who’s dedicated their life to staring at esoteric symbols would get immediately. My coffee went cold. I was about ready to throw the whole thing in the bin.
The Breakthrough, Sort Of
Eventually, I started getting a few crossers from the less tarot-y, more general knowledge clues. Thank goodness for those. Slowly, painstakingly, a few of the “group” answers started to emerge. It turned out some were about specific numerological groupings, like all the “Eights” or something. Others were about really common, almost cliché, associations, like “Cards of destiny.” Stuff that, in hindsight, wasn’t that deep, but the way they clued it made it sound like deciphering ancient hieroglyphs.
I wouldn’t say I finished it with a triumphant flourish. It was more like a slow, grumbling surrender from the puzzle. By the end, I felt more drained than enlightened. But hey, I did it. Filled in all the squares. Whether they were all correct according to the NYT’s grand tarot plan, who knows? I’m counting it as a win.
It’s funny, these themed crosswords. Sometimes they’re a blast, and you feel like you’re unlocking a secret code. Other times, like with this tarot one, it feels like the constructor is just showing off how much they know about a niche topic. Still, can’t say I didn’t learn something. Mostly about my own patience levels, though, not so much about tarot card groups.