Reading Tarot – Three Card Spread

One of the most classic layouts for a reading is the three card spread. It is one of my favorite spreads because it is simple, but it offers the potential for going really deep. It is an excellent spread to use when you can only do a quick reading or if you need a solid jumping off point for a deeper more extensive reading.

Traditionally the placement of the cards in a three card spread is connected to specific meanings. The first card is the past, the second card represents the present, and the third card shows the future. Pretty simple, right?

Yes, it’s easy, but it can also be so much more.

Card One – The Past

Traditionally the first card is the card that shows us the past, where the querent has been – past tense. However, I don’t like to read this card as if the past is a static thing. Rather, when I do a three card spread I imagine the first card to be a symbol of fluid energy.

These are the questions that I ask when looking at the first card. What is the energy from the past that is still influencing the now? What is the baggage (good or not) that is still being carried into the present? What is propelling the information of this reading forward? Instead of looking at the first card as a single note of the past, let this card inform what needs to be known now with notes from the past as influence.

Card Two – The Present

In a traditional three card spread the second card is the now. The card of the present is all about the now. What is going on that the querent needs to know about at this moment?

There is more to the present moment than the present moment. (ha!) Each moment is being influenced by our past and our potential future. When I look a the second card I ask some of the following questions. What is the reason for this reading? What is important? What is the current focus? And how does this card show up and interact with the first card?

Card Three – The Future

The third card is the “outcome” card. This card answers the question of the reading. Traditionally the third card tells us all about the future.

I’ve never liked looking at a reading as telling the future. Tarot shows you a possible outcome, a potential, the likely course that you are on in this moment, but nothing is frozen, static, or certain. Instead, I like to look at the third card as the outcome of the current path that is being followed. I’ve also found, more often than not, that this card offers some tips, advice, or even warnings on the things coming down the road.

Beyond Three Cards

With a three card spread, start by looking at the individual cards and what they mean as a message for past, present, and future, but also look deeper. What if the the three cards were one message? What if, instead of three distinct images, you had one fluid image? How would the information received in the reading change if you were to look at the cards in that way, would the information change? Now what is the overall message?

Major Arcana

In a three card spread, pay attention to any Major Arcana cards and where they land in the layout. Major Arcana cards already offer deeper messages and layers of meaning. With a three card spread allow the Major Arcana to really influence and expand the meaning in the other cards. What are the overarching messages? What is some of the life work that may be making itself known in this reading?

No matter the layout or spread, a tarot reading brings insight and clarity into a situation that is murky, cloudy, or uncertain. The layers of a reading can always go deeper and you don’t have to pull a dozen cards to bring that depth. A simple, classic, three card draw can reveal several layers of detail.