# How to play Leela with tarot cards and other decks

To play Leela with tarot, throw the die as usual and, when your token stops on a square, draw one card. Then ask a bridging question that links the card to the square and to your question. The square stays the centre of the reflection; the card adds an image and a second angle on it.

## Why combine Leela with tarot cards?

Guides of Leela have long added extra prompts on a square: a tarot card, a rune, or a book opened at random. A square such as 24 Bad company names a theme; a card gives that theme a face. Many players find that the picture unlocks a memory or a feeling that the word alone did not.

Used this way the deck is a tool for reflection, like the board itself. It does not forecast anything. It offers an image, and you decide what it says about your question.

## Which decks can you use with Leela?

On Leela Atlas you can choose one of six decks before the game, or play with no cards at all.

- Classic Tarot: the full deck of 78 cards drawn by Pamela Colman Smith and published in 1909, the most familiar tarot imagery in the English-speaking world, with illustrated scenes on every card.
- Tarot de Marseille: the major arcana from the deck of Jean Dodal, printed in Lyon around 1701, one of the classic French patterns with bold woodcut lines and flat colours.
- Visconti-Sforza Tarot: the 22 major arcana in the style of the hand-painted cards attributed to Bonifacio Bembo, made in Milan around 1451 and among the oldest tarot cards known.
- Elder Futhark runes: the 24 runes of the oldest runic alphabet, each a single sign with a name such as Fehu, Isa or Raido.
- I Ching: the 64 hexagrams of the Chinese Book of Changes, each a figure of six broken or unbroken lines with its own name and image.
- Leela deck: our own 72 painted cards in the style of Indian miniatures, one for each square of the board, made so that the image and the board speak the same language.

## What is a bridging question?

A bridging question joins three things: the square you landed on, the card you drew and the question you brought to the game. Without it, a card can pull the reflection away from the board. With it, the card stays in the service of the square.

A simple form works well: "What does this card show me about [the square] in [my question]?" On Leela Atlas each card you draw comes with a bridging question written for that square, and both are saved in your Atlas with your notes.

## Example 1: square 12 Envy with The Star

Question: "Why do I feel stuck in my career?" The token stops on 12 Envy, the first snake of the game, which drops it to 8 Avarice. Johari links envy to feeling unworthy of a place one has reached. The card drawn from the Classic Tarot is The Star, a figure pouring water under an open sky.

Bridging question: "Whose success do I envy, and what hope of my own does that envy hide?" The snake becomes a pointer: the envy shows a wish that has not been admitted yet.

## Example 2: square 27 Selfless service with an I Ching hexagram

Question: "How can I find meaning in my work?" The token lands on 27 Selfless service, an arrow that rises to 41 Human plane. The square asks: "Whom does my work really serve?" The I Ching gives hexagram 15, Modesty.

Bridging question: "Where could I serve without needing to be seen, and what would change if I did?" The arrow and the hexagram point the same way, and the player notes one concrete act of quiet service for the coming week.

## Example 3: square 55 Egotism with the rune Isa

Question: "Why do arguments with my brother never end?" The token stops on 55 Egotism, a snake down to 3 Anger. The square asks: "What in me needs to be right?" From the Elder Futhark the player draws Isa, the rune of ice.

Bridging question: "Where has my need to be right frozen this relationship, and what would let it thaw?" The fall from 55 to 3 is long, and the rune gives it a picture the player recognises at once.

## Tips for playing Leela with a deck

- Read the square first, then turn the card. The board leads, the card follows.
- Draw one card per stop, not per throw, so a run of sixes does not flood the game with images.
- On an arrow or a snake, draw for the square where you arrive and reread the square that moved you.
- Choose one deck for the whole game. Mixing decks blurs the language of the images.
- Write the square, the card and your answer to the bridging question in your journal.

## FAQ

**Do you need tarot cards to play Leela?**
No. Leela is complete with its board, a die and the meaning of each square. Cards are an optional layer that some players and guides enjoy. You can play many games without them and add a deck later when you want another angle on a square.

**Which tarot deck is best for Leela?**
There is no single best deck. The Classic Tarot is the most familiar and its scenes are easy to read. The Tarot de Marseille and Visconti-Sforza majors are older and more austere. The Leela deck has one painted card for each square, so its images match the board directly.

**Can I use runes or the I Ching with Leela instead of tarot?**
Yes. The Elder Futhark runes and the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching work in the same way: draw one when you stop, then ask a bridging question that links the sign to the square and to your question. Simpler signs such as runes often leave more room for your own reflection.

**Does drawing a card predict what will happen?**
No. In Leela a card is a prompt for reflection, just like a square. It gives you an image to think with about your situation. What it means for you, and what you do with it, stays your own decision.