“Are you seriously playing Solitaire with tarot cards?”
“… Yep!“
This is an adaptation of the popular Klondike game of solitaire for use with your favorite Tarot deck. I find this game is fantastic for observing the numerology, rapid recognition of cards, and cultivating a grounded relationship with your deck. If you’ve felt slightly out of touch with your tarot deck, or are new to tarot or bought a new deck recently, playing a game with the cards can be a great place to begin familiarizing yourself. The tarot pack is built for game playing, after all.
Play might be difficult at first, since the number and suit aren’t clearly visible at the top of most Tarot packs the same way they are on standard cards. Playing a lot will help you know your deck intimately, but the first game can easily take an hour as you check suits and reduce high trump numbers, especially if its not a pack you’re already familiar with. With practice, I’ve played the game well under a half hour.
HOW TO PLAY
What you Need
- A 78 card Tarot pack with 56 minor arcana and 22 major arcana cards. The typical suits in a Tarot pack are Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. The Major arcana cards are also called the Trumps, and are numbered from 0 to 21.
- A fair amount of table or floor space. Many Tarot decks are over-sized compared to standard cards, so the game can take quite a lot of room.