The Law of Three is based on a simple but effective principle - that the kind of energy we give out towards others will come back to us with three times the power. In some philosophical traditions, such as Wicca, this law also forms the basis of the principle of responsibility. It invites us to reflect on the consequences of our actions. If we do good, then positivity will find its way back to us in an amplified form. If we do harm, however, this too will come back to afflict us with three times the force.
The Law of Three Spread provides the Querent with an easy visual technique for predicting the consequences of any action.
Preparation
The first step to the Rule of Three Spread is for the Reader to ask the Querent to describe the plan of action that they have in mind. With guidance from the Reader, the Querent then chooses the Major Arcana card that best represents their intentions.
The Reader should then place this card back together with the others and shuffle the deck. This means that it may or may not appear in the Spread. After the Querent has cut the deck three times with their non-dominant hand, the Reader places three cards face up, arranging them in a semicircle or crescent shape.
Reading and Interpretation
Each card in the spread represents one of the three ways that the QUerent's action will be reflected back at them in their own life. The Reader can interpret the three Major Arcana drawn using their preferred technique, including Intuitive Reading, Reversed Card Reading or Traditional Meanings, as well as using the Elements to deepen the interpretation.
From one single action, therefore, three distinct consequences arise. Some cards may contain a positive element, while others may be decidedly negative.
The Chosen Card
Reader and Querent chose one card to represent a specific action that the latter plans to undertake and this card has been inserted back into the deck, so it could appear among the cards drawn. When this happens, it means the Querent will receive in return exactly what they were thinking of doing to someone else. Interpreting this card, therefore, must be as faithful as possible to the initial intention of the Querent.
One Card Selected
Deliberately selecting a card that represents a person or strategy, rather than drawing it at random, gives the card a special meaning. So when it appears in the Spread, the Reader must pay it special attention, choosing an interpretation related to the person or the strategy that this represents.
Updated
19 January 2025 at 23:45:29
Key Information
Number of Cards: Three
Cards Used: Usually the Major Arcana
Objective: To predict the consequences of an action.
Layout: Three cards arranged in a semicircle or crescent shape.
Example Reading
This example uses the Silver Witchcraft Tarot. Let's imagine the Querent is a woman called Paula. She is looking for advice about what to do regarding a difficult friendship. Paula would like to know if her intended plan of action to resolve the issue is likely to produce the desired effect.
Paula has a friend called Sam who gets angry an then goes completely silent and refuses any kind of contact for days on end. On top of this, Sam recently made a nasty comment about Paula, who is now considering the idea of paying her back by not speaking to her for a while.
Paula chooses the Hermit from the Major Arcana to represent her plan of action. The reason for her choice is that this card is associated with withdrawal and removing oneself from others.
First Card: VI Lovers Reversed
Essential Meanings: Choice, Love
Element: Fire
Keywords: Passion, Sensuality, Union, Pleasure, Desire, Attraction, Affinity, Bonding, Romance, Alliance, Harmony, Creativity
Reversed Lovers: When it is drawn upright, this card represents union. When in this case, the Lovers appear upside-down, it can indicate anger and separation.
Second Card: XIX The Sun Reversed
Essential Meanings: Light, Truth
Element: Fire
Keywords: Growth, Energy, Clarity, Glory, Exuberance, Happiness, Success, Heat, Trust, Awareness, Radiance
Reversed Sun: As the Sun is upside-down, its positive energy is difficult to access. Instead, negative connotations such as frenzy and exhaustion are accentuated.
Third Card: IX The Hermit
Essential Meanings: Enlightenment, Withdrawal
Element: Earth
Keywords: Isolation, Retreat, Introversion, Solitude, Experience, Ancient Truth, Pilgrimage, Silence, Philosophy
Upright Hermit: This card, which Paula selected to represent her plan to give Sam the cold shoulder, suggests that her silence will be reciprocated with more silence.
Synthesis
Reading the three cards can be a short sharp process. The moment of the Synthesis allows the Reader to show the Querent how her intention to 'cut contact' with Sam will have various consequences. It is also the time to ask Paula if this is really the type of action that she wishes to undertake.
Stopping talking to her friend will most likely only increase the feeling of separation, negative energy and distance. The elemental combinations indicate that the energies linked to the Fire of the Lovers and the Sun will strengthen each other, causing a negative spiral that could endanger their friendship.
The absence of cards relating to Air and Water suggest that discussing (Air) one's feelings (Water) could restore the elemental balance of their friendship. Paula therefore concludes that, instead of not speaking to her friend anymore, she would do better adopting the opposite strategy, namely talking about the problem. In this instance, the Reader could ask Paula to choose an Air card to indicate the intention and then repeat the reading to see what the consequences could be.