Past, present, future

The three-card line is the workhorse of tarot: quick to lay, easy to read, and flexible. Read here as past, present and future, it gives a situation a direction of travel.

Reading the spread as a whole

Read the line as a sentence. The middle card is the subject; the left is what brought it about; the right is where it tends if nothing changes. Look for a suit or number repeated across the three — that is the thread.

Other spreads

• A single card — One card for the day, or for one clear question.
• Mind, body, spirit — Three cards to take your own measure — not a question, a check-in.
• The horseshoe — Seven cards in an arc, from the past through counsel to outcome.
• The relationship — Seven cards for two people: what each brings, what joins and divides you, where it goes.
• Two paths — A decision spread: the fork, each road's near and far consequences, and counsel.
• The Celtic Cross — Ten cards: six make the cross, four the staff beside it.
• The year ahead — Thirteen cards: one for each month around a card for the year's theme.