Quick poll time! What 3-card spread do you recommend to beginners? Teaching my friend to read and want to start them with something versatile but not too complex.
I don’t think the “normal” past-present-future is the way to go because they’ll get bored with the limitations and start making something up instead. Something they can ask simple questions with and get some actual guidance without getting stuck or entirely lost.
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The past-present-future is perfectly fine too and you can ask it questions more flexibily than you might think.
Or you can mix it up bit:
I totally get where you’re coming from with the past-present-future thing. When I was teaching my niece, she kept getting stuck on the “present” card, being stuff that already happened or wouldn’t happen for weeks. Drove her nuts.
The one that clicked for her was actually super simple - Situation, Action, Outcome.
She could actually DO something with the Action card instead of just sitting there waiting for the future to happen. Plus, it works for basically any question they throw at it. “Should I text my ex?” Easy. Here is your situation, here’s what action to take (or not take), here’s where that leads.
The spread that changed everything for my teaching was this Do/Don’t Do spread. You put the issue in the middle, what NOT to do on the left, what TO do on the right. It’s like having a really wise friend who just tells you straight up what’s what. My friend loved that she could pull three cards and immediately know how to handle her work drama without all the mystical interpretation stuff.
I still use 3 cards for 90% of my readings, including paid ones. People think you need Celtic Cross to be “serious” but that’s garbage. If you give the Tarot three cards to give a message, it will give that message in 3 cards. Sometimes pulling the extra cards is just about getting more context, but you don’t need that context.
My go-to is:
What You Think.
What You Feel.
What You Do.
Shows people exactly where they’re lying to themselves. The Think card is usually what they tell everyone, Feel is what keeps them up at night, Do is what’s actually happening. Stop/Start/Continue is brilliant for New Years or birthday readings too. None of this “what will happen to me” passive stuff.
Option 1/Option 2/What You Need to Know is perfect for overthinkers. That third card shows what factor they haven’t considered yet and leaves the choice to the querant. Sometimes it’s like “hey both options suck, try door number 3” and sometimes it’s “you already know but you’re scared.”
My friend was choosing between two job offers and pulled this. The third card was the 4 of Cups - they were so focused on these two options they missed that neither was what they actually wanted. Ended up negotiating with their current job instead.
I’ve been sitting with this question.
The spread I keep coming back to is Shadow/Light/Integration. It can feel heavy for beginners. I like it because every situation has two sides, and learning to look at the whole picture early on helped me avoid the toxic positivity trap I hit when I started. Death can be hard to pull, and The Sun can be too much. The third card shows how to hold both without swinging to one extreme.
When teaching someone tarot, I usually start with a basic three-card spread. It’s pretty straightforward and works for most situations.
The first card is for the daily theme or whatever’s on their mind. It basically shows what’s going on with them right now.
The second card goes a bit deeper - I call it ‘What Lies Beneath.’ It looks at stuff they might not be fully aware of, the underlying patterns affecting their situation.
The third card is for advice. It gives them some direction on what they could do next or how to think about their situation differently. What’s nice about this spread is that beginners can use it for pretty much any question. It’s structured enough that they won’t get lost, but flexible enough to keep things interesting.
Plus, it doesn’t overwhelm them with too many cards to interpret at once.
Pull one card for where things stand right now, another for what seems to be coming in (could be an opportunity, a person, or just a shift), and one for the best next step or where to put your focus.
It works for specific questions or quick check-ins, and new readers often find it easier than the usual past-present-future spread. Your friend can use it for things like ‘What’s up with my job?’ or ‘What’s today’s energy?’
My go-to beginner spread is the ‘situation-self-agency’ spread.
It helps you see what’s going on and what you can actually do about it. You also get a quick check-in on how you’re feeling and some practice reading the cards by feel. I use it a lot with new readers.
I use Seed/Growth/Harvest with beginners. Works well because it follows natural cycles everyone gets.
The Growth position shows process, not progress. When someone pulls the Tower there, they sometimes freak out a bit. I have them write one keyword per position after readings. After a few weeks they’ve got their own meanings down.
My go-to spread for beginners is ‘yesterday’s lesson, today’s energy, tomorrow’s guidance’. It gives them a timeline without being as rigid as past-present-future.
I find it works well during Mercury retrograde when people need to review what just happened, figure out where they’re at now, and get some direction for what’s next. Beginners seem to like that it tells a story but still leaves room to read the cards based on what’s going on astrologically.
I teach beginners the ‘heart-receive-offer’ spread. Got it from how Victorian parlor readers used to do readings, they’d have people name their main concern first, then show what good things were coming, and finally what the person needed to do to make it happen.
It works well for new readers because the positions are straightforward. They don’t get lost trying to figure out complicated card relationships, and it helps them see they have some control over outcomes instead of just waiting for stuff to happen.
For everyday readings with beginners, I love using:
I know a lot of people default to past-present-future, but I find beginners connect better when they can directly address what’s bothering them right now.
This spread gives them immediate insight rather than just a timeline. That third card often reveals something they hadn’t considered - maybe a hidden influence, someone’s perspective they’re missing, or just general energy around the situation. It’s flexible enough to work for ‘Should I text my ex?’ or ‘How do I handle this work conflict?’ without feeling formulaic.
In fact forget beginners, I think this is just the best way to do a 3 card spread full stop.
I like starting new readers with a simple three-card ‘perception-reality-bridge’ spread: how they see the situation, what’s under the surface, and guidance for closing the gap. It helps them look past first impressions and pay attention to what the cards are actually saying. Heads up: The Moon in the second spot can be uncomfortable.
I use it for lots of topics-relationship snags, career blocks-and it teaches reading the cards together. I find it more engaging than past-present-future without being overwhelming.
I think the Modern Witch Tarot’s clean lines make ‘Intention/Action/Outcome’ almost self-explanatory for beginners. The Wild Unknown’s abstract imagery works better with feeling-based spreads like ‘Energy/Block/Flow’ though.
I’m curious which deck your friend connects with. I’ve found the Rider-Waite’s narrative scenes work really well for story-based spreads like ‘Character/Conflict/Resolution’ - you can literally see the tale unfolding. It’s interesting watching someone pull the same spread with different decks. The Mystic Mondays’ geometric style turns even simple positions into meditation points, while something like the Cosmic Slumber deck makes every spread feel like dream interpretation.
I treat it like the middle card is the main answer and the cards on either side give context.
Your friend doesn’t have to stick to past-present-future. They can pull three cards where the center answers their question and the other two show what’s influencing that answer. It’s flexible but not overwhelming.
Sometimes I pull two more cards below for extra info if I need it. They’re like footnotes. This approach works better for me because it feels more like using the cards as a thinking tool rather than trying to predict the future.
I like the ‘approach-obstacle-wisdom’ spread for beginners. It lines up with the Kabbalistic rhythm where expansion meets restraint and settles into balance, and it stays practical.
You don’t need to technically keep a 3-card reading as just three cards. Look at it as a framework but not a rule, they can always pull another clarifying card if they’re not sure about a message or position.
The approach spot shows what to lean into. The obstacle points to what to be careful with or work through. The wisdom card gives a balanced take for where you are right now. It helps new readers see both the light and shadow in a situation instead of getting stuck on one side. Over time, the push-pull between cards starts to make more sense.
