Three card tarot reading
The usual three: where it came from, where it stands, where it is going.
- 3cards dealt
- 78in the deck
- Freeno sign-up, nothing saved
ExamplePast, present, future · “Should I take the new job?”ask your own question above
Your cards
the draw, and what each position asksYour cards are face down. Tap each one to turn it over.
An offer that does not come, or a start on ground that will not hold.
The one who sees where this goes and gets others to build it. Bold, and usually right.
Holding the door shut on an ending that has already happened.
- The Ace of Pentacles — something here genuinely begins rather than carries on.
- One court card, the King of Wands — there is a person in this and not only a situation.
- 2 of the 3 came up reversed — there is more friction here than flow.
- A mix of major and minor — some of this is yours to move and some is not
How it is laid out
what each position answers- 1PastWhat brought this here
- 2PresentWhere it stands today
- 3FutureWhere it goes if nothing changes
What a three card reading is for
and when to use another oneUse this for anything with a before and an after: a job, a friendship that changed, a habit you keep coming back to. The three positions turn one question into three smaller ones, which is most of what a spread does for you.
Take the Celtic Cross if it is big and has been going on for years. Take one card if you only want a small push. Take Situation, action, outcome if what you actually want is a move rather than a story. This one tells you where things are heading, not what to do about it.
Read left to right once, then compare the third card with the first. Past to future is a direction, and the direction is usually worth more than any single card in it. If the middle card contradicts both ends, that is the part to spend time on.
The other readings
5 moreSame 78 cards and the same shuffle. What changes is how many are dealt and what each one is answering.
1 cardOne cardOne question, one card. The whole of it in a sentence.Draw 1 card
3 cardsWhat should I doThree cards for when you want to know what to actually do.Draw 3 cards
3 cardsYes or noThree cards, each leaning for or against, and the count decides. A tie is a plain maybe.Draw 3 cards
5 cardsLove and relationshipFive cards on one relationship — both sides, what joins you, what is in the way.Draw 5 cards
10 cardsCeltic CrossThe full ten. For one big question you want taken apart properly.Draw 10 cardsQuestions about the three card reading
3 of themWhich of the three matters most?
Usually the third, and the direction between the first and the third more than any of them. Past to future is a line, and the line is the reading. A bad card in the middle of an improving three is not the same as that card at the end.
Does past, present and future mean actual time?
Loosely. The first card is what the situation grew out of, the second is where it stands, the third is where it goes if nothing changes. None of them is dated, and the third is a direction rather than a prediction.
My future card looks bad. Now what?
It says where this is heading if nothing changes, which is a sentence with a condition in it. The cards do not have a mechanism for making anything happen. If you want to know what to do instead, the situation, action, outcome reading is built for exactly that.