Sometimes all you need from a tarot spread is a quick snapshot of the situation and the direction it’s heading in. You may also want to be able to go back to your reading and glean some more information from it. What if you also want to apply some other techniques you couldn’t apply to other tarot spreads, like elemental dignities?
The 3-2-1 Tarot Spread will give you just that, and more, as I will show you…
- Three
- Lay 3 cards out in a row – these are your ‘scene-setters’ and will tell you what is happening currently.
- Two
- Lay 2 cards over the first 3 – these are showing you the direction your situation is heading in. What’s interesting about these two cards are that they are often the product of the two they overlap & are directly related to them, the next step in the development of your situation.
- One
- Finally lay the last card on top of the previous two, overlapping them also. This is your projected outcome for your situation and again is the product, or culmination of the previous two cards.
A 3-2-1 Tarot Reading
To show you how effective this little tarot spread is, I’ve done a reading with it for myself using the gorgeous Sun and Moon Tarot. I’ve been working behind the scenes recently to bring a new Tarot Card Meanings section and a Forum to the blog. Both of these sections will be intrinsically linked so it made sense to ask about them both, and the success of the project.
- Three
- If we look at the top line first, we can see the 10 of Wands, the 10 of Pentacles and the Universe (the World). This makes lots of sense to me as I’ve devoted all of my time to this project and while I love seeing it come together, I’m also feeling the strain of it. It is nearing completion, for stage one and I’m really satisfied with it so far.
- Two
- The second line is a product of the first, meaning the 4 of Wands is a product of the 10 of Wands and 10 of Pentacles. What a great product! We could say the 10 of Pentacles gave support and life to the 10 of Wands, resulting in our first stage of completion, the 4 of Wands. Those three cards also make an interesting combo if we read them in a triad.
- The second card of the second line, the Ace of Pentacles, is a product of the 10 of Pentacles and the Universe. How fabulous! The 10 of Pentacles is the energy of this reading and is being very productive! Success and productivity all in one line – I couldn’t ask for more.
- One
- The final outcome, or the result of all the cards is the 4 of Pentacles. Not the best card in most decks, but in the Sun and Moon Tarot, a redrawing of the Thoth Tarot and blended with the Rider Waite-Smith, it represents power, of the foundation kind. Building a strong foundation by tapping into your personal power and using the power of the elements in creation.
- With that in mind, and as the outcome card, the 4 of Pentacles is excellent. The Ace of Pentacles rooted the 4 of Wands and gave it form. Stage one now has a strong foundation. I’m happy and can look at the 10 of Wands with an easier eye now.
I’m also loving the repeating pattern of three circles found on the Universe, the 4 of Wands and the Ace of Pentacles – suggesting cycles and continuation and in a perfect grouping of 3:
Triplicity, expression, expansion of the idea, growth, first stages of completion.
Tarot Tip: Because the number of cards in this spread is a multiple of 3, you can use Elemental Dignities if you like. Or, if you prefer, you can just read in groups of two or three creating tarot card combinations to gain extra information.
Featured Tarot Deck: the Sun and Moon Tarot by Vanessa Decort, published by US Games Inc. Available to both US and UK readers.
