Three clients, three problems, all with limited time or experience with the. Tarot. Is there a perfect reading to addres
Tarot To Go: Three Fabulous Three Card Spreads Three clients, three problems, all with limited time or experience with the Tarot. Is there a perfect reading to address the newbie to Tarot, or when you don’t have the time or mental space to process a big reading? The answer is yes! Whether you have limited time, don’t want to deal with working with complex layouts, or are just getting your Tarot toes wet, three card spreads are the perfect solution. And, if you are learning to read cards, playing with three card spreads is a great way to build confidence and learn cards. Three Card Spread for Relationships Although I often do work with complex spreads for relationships, in my client Molly’s case we just didn’t have time to work with 10 or more cards. This spread allows you to cut to the chase with the issue, and is a great beginning to doing deeper exploration about the relationship later. The spread is simple. Three cards that signify the following positions:
The Querent
The Other
The Two Together
Molly’s question was, We fight all the time, just like my mom and dad. How can we get along better?
Her first card, representing her, was the Five of Cups. This showed that she was indeed feeling sorrow and regret about the arguments, but that also there was a sense of giving up. What she needed to realize that there was still so much to work with in the relationship, and that while it was ok to acknowledge her sadness, it would be more helpful to move forward into finding solutions. The second card, representing her boyfriend, was the Seven of Wands. This card doesn’t show what the other will do, but rather the energy they are bringing into the situation. This card clearly showed that he felt defensive, and that he needed to defend his role and position in the relationship. This was the root of the arguments from his side, and quite possibly was related to a feeling of dissatisfaction about the direction of the relationship, or his role within it. The third card was the Ace of Cups. I felt that this was a good sign for them, and showed that they needed to find a new way to deal with emotionally charged situations in their relationship. And, that if she was willing to draw upon her own intuition and sensitivity, the solutions would be easily found within her. Both of them needed to be more emotionally open, and come with a beginner’s mind to changing their communication patterns. The relationship offered potential for emotional growth if they were willing to embrace it. Three Card Spread for Problems Janae was a regular client of mine, and I knew that she was often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of energy we could gather in one reading. Three card spreads were perfect for her, giving great guidance in digestible chunks.
Janae had a question about how to deal with persistent money issues. The three cards we drew signified:
The Problem
The Cause
The Solution
The first card we drew was the Eight of Swords. We talked about how she might be in denial about her financial situation, and if she wasn’t willing to look at reality head on, then she wouldn’t be able to find her way out of a seemingly hopeless situation. The blindfold on the woman in my deck symbolized, in Janae’s case, her unwillingness to see her money situation for what it was. The second card was the Eight of Cups. The cause of her money woes was a stuck, stagnant relationship with money itself, probably dating back to childhood. Janae admitted she had a lot of limiting beliefs around money, but didn’t think she had the power to change it. Drawing this second Eight was a hint too that overall the money question was a place of stagnant, old energy that needed to be changed. The third card was Death. The solution here was that she had to release the limiting beliefs, let her old way of being with money completely die, so that she could have a rebirth of abundance. This was an area that she admitted she needed more coaching in, so we set up a package of sessions so that I could help her. Three Card Spread for Making a Choice
For newbies to the Tarot world, it’s nice to start with a three card spread to keep confusion at a minimum. My client Patrick was shy about asking questions, and he settled on getting guidance for a choice he needed to make about his job. The three cards we drew represented:
Option 1
Option 2
How to Make the Choice
The first card was the Seven of Cups. Tricky, because this card is inherently about choice. In this instance, I advised that he be clear about what benefits option one would really bring him, and make sure he wasn’t making up fantasies about the possible promotion that could come. He needed to keep his feet on the ground and allow reason to team up with emotion in thinking about this option. The second card was the Four of Discs. Here there was an opportunity to grow his power base and find some stability—but the danger was that if would be better served by risk, this choice might be too conservative and not bring him the breadth of knowledge he was really searching for. The third card was the King of Swords. To make the best choice, he needed to rely on his wisdom, intellect, and cutting through fears and emotional resistance to success. Which choice would win if he applied all the experience of his years and his critical thinking mind? You can see that three card spreads can really serve a variety of issues and questions. And don’t let yourself be limited by the layouts here. You
can make the three cards mean anything you want; just make sure you are clear on your frame of reference for the reading before you start. Doing this kind of reading will build your confidence as a reader, or, as a client, you see how the three cards hone in on the issue, and provide clear, simple instruction for how to proceed. Three card spreads take less time to lay out, read, and interpret, and so are the perfect choice if you are on a bit of a budget or don’t have a lot of time but need answers.
A version of this article was originally written for keen.com as “Tarot to Go.” Created by Elia Seely, 2016. Copyright belongs to Keen. Do not distribute or reprint for commercial use.
