How to Do a Tarot Reading With Three Cards

Doing a tarot reading with three cards gives you a quick look at the influences surrounding the question you are asking. This kind of layout works particularly well when inquiring about such subjects as other people's motives or trying to get a read on a situation that has left you hurt or confused. Avoid putting your question in yes/no terms. Ask it in an open-ended manner, like, "How do my job prospects look right now?" or "What are the underlying reasons that my husband and I are fighting?"

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deck of tarot cards Book or other source of tarot card interpretations

1. Pick a quiet place and time where you can concentrate and won't be disturbed. Put on soft music, light some incense or dim the lights to make yourself more comfortable.

2. Take a few minutes to relax and clear your mind. This is especially necessary when you are stressed or upset. The more focused you are on your reading the better the results will be.

3. Shuffle the cards until you feel you are ready to stop. Try not to bend them. If it's easier, spread them out face down on the table and mix them up with your palms, them tuck them back into a deck.

4. Deal the first card from the deck and lay it face up. Say, "This is the past." If you feel the urge to draw cards from the bottom, the middle or another part of the deck, follow it, for your instinct is telling you which cards to pull. When you deal, turn the cards over sideways instead of flipping them from top to bottom. The meaning of a tarot card changes when it's reversed, so you don't want to switch its position when you deal them.

5. Pick the second card and lay it face up next to the first one. Say, "This is the present."

6. Choose the third card and lay it face up next to the second one. Say, "This is the future." You now have three cards sitting in a horizontal line.

7. Consult the first card. This card represents the previous influence or the basis of the question. Look up the card's meaning in your tarot reference source.

8. Move on to the second card, which relates to the influences that are operating at present or will do so very soon. Check its definition in the reference guide.

9. Read the final card. This card indicates what the likely outcome will be. As you read its meaning, consider how the messages of the three cards apply to your situation and how they interact with each other.

10. Make notes of your reading and put them aside to refer to in a week or so. If the layout reflected what you were already thinking or feeling about the situation, your instincts are very in-tune with what is going on. If the messages seem confusing, give it a few days. Things may transpire or you may see things in a different light that gives the reading more latitude.

Tips & Warnings

• If a card falls from the deck or the table while your are shuffling or dealing, set it aside to refer to after you've read the first three cards, and see how it relates to your question. A card the jumps from a tarot deck is meant to be heard.
• Tarot is meant to be a tool, not an absolute guide. Your free will puts you in charge of your fate. Tarot shows the things that are likely to happen, but neither your actions nor anyone else's are set in stone.

Resources

• BellaOnline.com: Tarot Spread Tutorial: 3 Card Spread