3 of the Best Three-Card Tarot Spreads

Reading tarot cards doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, more often than not, the simpler the spread, the better.

Here are three of the best three-card tarot spreads I use. They are super simple yet immensely informative.

A spread to do when you’re angry

My mindfulness meditation practice is really helping me to notice my thoughts as separate from me. It has become less difficult for me to prevent angry, fearful, or guilt-ridden thought spirals.

However, every now and then, some thought, person, or situation will grab a psychic hold of me and I have a really hard time shaking it off and moving on. When that happens, I’ve learned that the circumstances are obviously triggering something deeper that is causing me anger or frustration.

That’s where this simple but illuminating three-card tarot spread comes in.

Shuffle the deck and pick three cards, one for each of the following questions:

1. What seems to be upsetting me?
2. What is really upsetting me?
3. What can I do to process my anger and move on?

When I am working with tarot to help process emotions, I find it especially useful to write out my thoughts for each card pull in a tarot journal. In fact, I suggest journaling after each of these three questions rather than once at the very end of this three-card tarot spread.

A spread to do when you have a choice to make

A lot of people wonder how to ask the tarot Yes/No questions. I don’t believe in Yes/No questions when it comes to the tarot. After all, it’s not a magic eight-ball!

Call it the English professor in me, but I’m a big fan of more open-ended questions that invite self-exploration. What’s an open-ended question? It’s one that begins with What, How, or Why and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.

So, when I have a difficult decision to make, I don’t bust out my tarot cards and ask, “Should I accept the job offer?” Instead, I turn my Yes/No question into a choice between two (or more) options. In this job offer scenario, Option A might be accepting the job. Option B, then, would be turning down the job.

Shuffle the deck and pick three cards, one for each of the following questions:

1. What might I experience if I choose Option A? (State what you are calling Option A)
2. What might I experience if I choose Option B? (State what you are calling Option B)
3. How can I ultimately make this choice?

Notice also that the questions ask what you “might” experience. Tarot is not fortune-telling. We have free will and energy can shift and change all the time. But if you’re letting your intuition and inner wisdom guide you, your answers can get pretty darn accurate.

A spread to use as a general weekly reading

Finally, if you’re not grappling with a specific issue, here’s a great general reading you can do at the start of each week. You could even do it every day or for the month if you want. Feel free to modify this three-card tarot spread.

Shuffle the deck and pick three cards, one for each of the following questions:

1. What is the energy of this week?
2. How can I best work with this energy?
3. What lesson am I being invited to learn this week?

In fact, this spread is inspired by one of my favorite tarot readers on Instagram, the Van Mystic. Most weeks she’ll do a collective reading on her IGTV. And while she asks more than just these three questions, the vibe is similar. So if you like this spread, check her out.

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Let me know if you try any of these three-card tarot spreads and how they work out for you!