Three-card spread
The three-card spread is the most popular short tarot layout: three cards drawn side by side, most often read as Past, Present and Future. It gives a quick, clear story of a question and how it is unfolding.
Three cards are enough to tell a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. In the classic version the first card shows the past (what led here), the second the present (where you stand) and the third the future (where things are heading).
The same three places can be given other meanings: situation, action and outcome; mind, body and spirit; or you, the other person and the relationship. Decide the positions before you draw, so the cards have something definite to answer.
Read each card in its place, then read the three together. Notice whether one suit dominates, whether Major Arcana appear, and how the images face or flow into one another. The story between the cards is often the real message.
The future card is not a fixed fate. It shows where things are heading if nothing changes, which is exactly why the reading is useful: the present card often shows what you can change.