Three Cards: past, present and future
It is the simplest spread in the Tarot and, for that very reason, the most widely used. Three cards side by side tell a short story: where the matter comes from, how it stands now and where the current is carrying it. You need not know anything about tarot to follow it — it reads like a sentence, from left to right.
Write your question, shuffle and draw. The three cards come from a seventy-eight-card deck shuffled there and then, and the reading appears written out straight afterwards: each card in its place and then the three together, which is where the answer takes shape. It is free and needs no sign-up.
How the cards are laid out
What each position means
Past
The root that brought the matter to this point: what happened, what was chosen or what was left unresolved. Not the whole past — only the part of it that still weighs on the question.
Present
What is being woven right now. It is the centre card, and often the most important: it shows the real state of things, which does not always match what can be seen from outside.
Future
The direction the current is flowing, if nothing changes. It is not a verdict but a tendency. If you do not like this card, the first two show where things can still be moved.
When to use Three Cards
It suits almost anything asked in everyday life: a job, a conversation that is about to happen, a relationship, a small decision. It is also the best way to test a question before taking it to a larger spread — if the three cards raise more doubts than answers, it is a sign that the matter needs The Cross or The Horseshoe.
There are other ways of reading the three positions, all of them traditional: situation, obstacle and advice; you, the other person and the relationship; mind, body and spirit. On Sol da Alma the table uses past, present and future, which is the clearest reading for those starting out.
How to read the three together
The strength of this spread lies in the passage from one card to the next. A heavy card in the past and a bright one in the future tell a story of a way out; the reverse tells of a warning. When all three are of the same suit, the whole matter lives on the same ground — Cups speak of feelings, Swords of conflicts and decisions, Pentacles of money and work, Wands of energy and projects.
The Major Arcana count double: if two or three appear, the question touches on something bigger than it seems. And a reversed card is not necessarily a bad one — very often it simply says that its force is blocked, delayed or turned inwards.
Frequently asked questions
Is the three card spread reliable?
It is short, but not shallow. For a concrete question, three cards say what matters with great clarity. What they do not do is examine a complicated matter from every side — that is what the Celtic Cross and the Tree of Life are for.
Can I use three cards for a yes or no question?
You can, but the answer comes as a tendency rather than a verdict. Look above all at the future card and at the overall tone of the three: open, bright cards lean towards yes; closed or heavy cards towards no, or towards ‘not yet’.
Can I do a three card spread with the Lenormand?
Yes. The Lenormand has its own three card spread — where it comes from, what is at stake and where it leads — which reads like a short sentence and gives very direct answers.
See a sample report for this spread (PDF)
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