Nine Versions of the Three-Card Spread

The Art of Application in Tarot

When we first learn tarot, one of the simplest and most used layouts is the three-card spread. It’s elegant in its simplicity, versatile, and often surprisingly revealing. Yet many readers struggle to draw meaning from these three small cards - not because they lack intuition, but because they haven’t yet learned the true art of application.

The application of tarot - how we define and direct the spread - is one of the most important aspects of divination. Without it, our readings can easily become vague, tangled, or overly general. When you draw three cards without first deciding what they are meant to show you, your intuition has no compass. You may find yourself asking, “What is this supposed to mean?” - when the real question is, “What did I ask the cards to reveal?”

The difference between a scattered reading and a deeply accurate one often lies not in interpretation, but in clarity of intention. The tarot responds to precision - to questions that are formed accurately and with direction.

A common example is the classic Past – Present – Future spread. It’s simple and powerful, yet it easily becomes too broad. Past in relation to what? Present in which area of life? The more clearly we define what story the spread is telling, the more precisely the cards will speak.

This is why learning to apply the tarot properly can transform your readings. The framework you set creates the container that allows intuitive insight to flow. Once you understand that, the three-card spread becomes infinitely adaptable - a tool for clarity, healing, guidance, and transformation.

In this article, I explore nine versions of the three-card spread. Each one designed for a different kind of inquiry. As soon you’ll discover how much more articulate and profound your readings can become when your intention is crystal clear, your tarot experience will pivot.

Nine examples of three-card spreads

As you explore the spreads below, let them inspire your own variations. The goal is not to memorize fixed patterns, but to learn how structure, intention and intuition dance together - be ready to see how a single question, placed in the right form, can open a whole new dimension of understanding!

Default outline of the three card spread

Love spreads

Advice in love is the most common need for budding tarot readers. We all want to know about that person, or if love is on its way. Here are three love spreads for you to try out:

1) What are my chances with this person?

Use this spread if you think about a certain someone with whom you are not in a partnership with. Could be a date, a possible date, or just a crush you have.

Card 1 = Opportunities you have with this person

What positive possibilities exist in this connection?

Card 2 = Obstacles for love/relation with this person

What challenges, fears, or external factors might stand in the way of a connection or commitment with this person?

Card 3 = The best you can do towards them

What energy or attitude will create the best conditions for approaching them/approaching the situation?

2) Ex question spreads

It intrigues me how many people in tarot Facebook groups asking about their exes. The common story is "Will we be together again" og "Will he contact me again" (yes, it is usually a "he"...), followed bya layout of three cards without proper application. A recipe for confusion! Why? Firstly, the question is posed as a yes/no answer. This is rarely a good way to ask the Tarot anything. Secondly, the card placements are not defined. What's the meaning for each of the cards? Who knows.

For all you out there still hung up on our ex'es, this is for you!

Card 1 = The core reason for the break-up (or lesson)

What was the deeper cause or backdrop of the break-up? What truth or lesson was meant to unfold through this experience?

Card 2 = The present energy between yus

What is the current emotional or energetic connection between us now? Is there closure, tension, or something unresolved still in the air?

Card 3 = My best approach for going forward

How can I handle this situation - and this person - in the healthiest way?

Common cards showing up in card 3 would be the Four of Swords, Eight of Cups or the Ten of Swords!

Typical Three-Card Ex Spread (Deck: Tarot of the Haunted House)

Intuition exercise: From your clairknowing, pick the three cards from the deck which best describes your current relationship with your ex. Maybe you already know what to do and what to expect...

3) Is Love on the Horizon?

Yes, we all wonder if love is near, if the right person is just around the corner. For singles seeking connection, this spread helps you to tune in to your heart’s readiness and the energy surrounding new love.

Card 1 = My true desire in love

What do I genuinely crave in a relationship? What kind of partnership would truly nourish me — emotionally, spiritually, and romantically?

Card 2 =The near future in love

What does the landscape of my love life look like over the next three months? What energies or possibilities are beginning to form?

Card 3 = My path to invitation

What can I do to align with and attract the kind of love that’s right for me? How can I open my energy to receive love that is authentic and reciprocal?

Career spreads

Money, jobs and career is for most people an essential part of life, no matter if one is looking for a job, having one, wanting to change jobs, wanting to step up in a career or wanting to step out! Here are three spreads you can use to gain clarity in money and career matters.

Many people need advice in current job processes. I get a lot of questions on if a job switch is the right thing, how an interview went and so on. When it comes to choices - this job or that job - I recommend a choice spread of four cards or more (I'll put one up soon). But for a three card spread, look below for some great options.

4) Preparing for a job interview

So many thoughts, questions and worries can show up before a job interview. We feel like our whole future relies on that one hour of our lives, it can really feel like a Sliding Door moment. In my own life, I came to understand that it will all turn out exactly as it should, If I didn't get the role, well - then it wasn't meant to be. However, we should always strive to do our absolute best at an interview, and arrive on time and well prepared! This spread will help us feel slightly more prepared for the undercurrents.

Card 1 = My true feelings about this role

What is my authentic emotional response to this job opportunity? What draws me in or holds me back?

Card 2 = Understanding the interviewer’s perspective

What qualities, values, or priorities might this person be looking for? How can I prepare to align well with their focus?

Card 3 = Presenting my best self

How can I communicate my strengths and experience in a way that feels both grounded and genuine? What will make me stand out as the right fit?

Typical Three-Card Interview Spread (Deck: Divine & Play Tarot)

Interpretation exercise: How would you interpret this three-card spread when using the card applications from the Job Interview-spread?

5) Switching jobs?

A really easy and straightforward three card spread for contemplation about switching jobs, with no particular new job in mind. A deeper reflection and advice from the tarot would benefit from a larger spread.

Card 1 = How I truly feel in my current role

What is my emotional and energetic state at work right now? Am I fulfilled, challenged, or ready for change?

Card 2 = Opportunities for expanding or growing where I am?

What potential for development or learning exists if I stay where I am? How could I expand or redefine my role where I am?

Card 3 = Possibilities for growth elsewhere?

What possibilities might open if I look elsewhere for new opportunities? Is there a new direction, calling, or opportunity waiting to emerge? How will that make me feel?

6) From Career to Calling — From Day Job to Entrepreneurship

This spread is for those who feel the pull toward a new path, especially one that moves them from a conventional role into work aligned with their soul, such as starting a spiritual business or creative calling. It helps clarify readiness, opportunities, and challenges on this transition.

Again - if you really consider this, do give it the time and effort of a bigger spread, but a three card spread would - for now - give the main outlines of energy, although without offering nuances.

Card 1 = How do I truly feel about a shift from Day job to Entrepreneurship?

What does my current situation reveal about my readiness for change?

Card 2 = Challenges or Opportunities

What doors or inspirations are opening as I move toward my spiritual or creative path? Or - what should I be aware of? (depending on the card that shows up)

Card 3 = My best next step

What action, attitude, or mindset will best support me in contemplating this transition? How can I move forward with clarity and courage?

Self-Reflection and Growth spreads

Self-reflection is the heart of tarot! A quiet practice of turning inward to explore who we are and who we are becoming. These three spreads invites us to deeper self-awareness, helping us see our inner landscape and how to walk forward in alignment with our highest selves.

7) Who am I right now?

A typical self-reflection spread based on the three-card spread model.

Card 1 = Who I am right now

What is my current energetic, emotional, and spiritual state? How do I stand in my life at this moment?

Card 2 = Lessons coming forward

What lesson is emerging for me at this stage? What is life asking me to notice, release, or embrace?

Card 3 = My path forward

What intention should I hold as I move forward? What are my gifts to receive when embracing and going through the lesson in card 2?

8) Three card shadow spread

For those who truly want to work with themselves: The shadow is the unseen part of us, the patterns, fears, and beliefs we carry without fully noticing. Working with the shadow is one of the deepest gifts of tarot, because it allows us to bring unconscious material into light and transform it. This three-card spread is designed to start that inner exploration of shadow work.

Card 1 = My shadow aspect

What hidden aspect of myself needs to be acknowledged? What part of my psyche is asking for awareness?

Card 2 = The impact of the shadow

How does this hidden aspect show up in my life? What effects does it have on my relationships, choices, and wellbeing?

Card 3 = Integration and transformation

How can I consciously work with this shadow aspect? What step can I take to integrate it and reclaim its power in a healthy way?

9) Three-card happiness spread

Let's round off with something uplifting! Happiness is not just a feeling, it’s a state of being we can nurture. This spread offers a short mapping for exploring your current state, discovering what nourishes your joy, and identifying those who can support you along the way.

Card 1 = My current state of happiness

Where do I stand right now in my sense of joy, fulfillment, and wellbeing? What is present within me in this moment?

Card 2 = Expanding my happiness

What do I truly need in order to grow my sense of joy and alignment? What action, mindset, or energy will expand my happiness?

Card 3 = My helpers

Who or what in my external world can support my happiness? This could be a person, a community, an opportunity, or an unexpected source of guidance.

Three-Card Happiness Spread

End remarks

The way we apply tarot is what transforms it from a simple card pull into a powerful tool for insight, clarity, and transformation. A spread is not just a layout, it is the frame that gives meaning to the cards, the container that shapes the conversation between you and the deck.

I hope this exploration of nine versions of the three-card spread has offered you a deeper understanding of the importance of definition in tarot work. When you define the purpose of your spread before shuffling, when you choose the lens through which you will view the cards, your readings become more precise, profound, and aligned with your intention.

Let these spreads be a starting point for your own practice. Adapt them, rename them, or invent your own. The real power lies in the act of creating your own application — and in the courage to approach the cards with both curiosity and clarity.

May your readings be inspired, your questions well-defined, and your connection with the tarot ever deeper.

And - if you use these spreads online, please be a darling and mention me, link to my site or to my article! Thank you <3