This is one of the simplest Lenormand readings you can do.
It’s suitable in particular for daily journal readings, or for when you need a very quick overview of a situation. You can also use it for basic Past, Present, Future readings.
I’ll give you two different methods here for using a 3-card spread.
Be sure to decide before you ask your question of the cards which of these two ways you’re going to use them.
Past—Present—Future
In this reading, you’ll look at each card on its own and not use card combinations.
Step 1
Think of the situation you want to know more about and shuffle the cards. While you’re shuffling, ask for the Past, Present and Future of that situation. You don’t need a keycard.
Step 2
When the cards feel right to you, pull out three cards. Different readers have different methods for pulling cards: please use the method you normally use and that feels right to you. I tend to shuffle until I “know” it’s time to stop, and then I pull out one card and those either side of it. Others may shuffle and pull three cards randomly; still others may cut the cards as you would for Tarot and take the top three. Whatever works for you.
Lay out the cards from left to right, as below:
Past—Present—Future
Step 3
Read Card 1 as the past of the situation, Card 2 as the present, Card 3 as the future.
So, for example, in the situation I am thinking of, here are the three cards I have pulled:
Bouquet—Crossroads—Clover
The past of this situation: Something pleasant and agreeable, blossoming
The situation now: A choice, options. Being at a crossroads or a turning point.
The situation in the future: Good luck, good fortune, success.
So as you see, it’s a very simple way to read the cards.
3-Card Spread Linked Reading
This is how I would normally read the cards, and is more like other Lenormand readings in that it looks at the cards using combinations and the mirroring technique.
Again, be sure to decide in your head before you ask your question of the cards that this is the way you’re going to read them.
Step 1
Think of the question you want to ask and shuffle the cards. Again, you don’t need a keycard.
Step 2
When the cards feel right to you, pull out your three cards.
Lay out the cards from left to right, as below:
Step 3
First look at the cards individually.
Read the centre card as the core of the situation you’ve asked about.
Then read the mirrored Cards 1+3 together in combination using the usual card combination method of the first card being the noun, the second the adjective.
Step 4
Then read the other cards in combinations as follows:
Cards 1+2
Cards 2+3
In the following example, the question was:
What Will Come Of The Project I Just Completed?
Birds—SHIP—Heart
- So individually, the cards show a conversation or communication (Birds), journey or travel (Ship) and love or passion (Heart)
- The centre card of the reading is the Ship – so at the heart of the answer is a journey or move of some kind.
- This journey is surrounded by the mirrored cards Birds + Heart: a loving communication or conversation.
- Then I read Cards 1+2, and then 2+ 3 together. A travel or move communication (Birds + Ship). A loving or passionate trip. (Ship + Heart)
Q: What Will Come Of The Project I Just Completed?
A: It will result in a trip or movement of some kind connected with a loving or passionate conversation or communication telling me about it. The trip, travel or movement is connected with passion or something loving.
Want to see more three-card readings in action?
Check out some readings and results in my post about me keeping three-card readings What I Learned From Keeping A Lenormand Journal For A Week
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Very new to Lenormand cards. Did my first reading. I asked how my return trip home from vacation was going to be.
I pulled 3 cards: the garden, the ring and the anchor. As soon as I saw the anchor I thought of delays, but I wasn’t sure about the garden or the ring. Twenty minutes into the trip we had trouble with the back tire. It didn’t blow out but a chunk of rubber was missing. Because we were in the middle of a major highway, my husband decided to risk driving our vehicle to the nearest gas station to change the tire. I thought back on the reading I did earlier. The ring reminded me of the tire, the garden the busy gas station, the anchor said that we weren’t going anywhere until we changed the tire. Your thoughts? I am familiar with tarot cards but this is all new to me.
Ah, interesting example, Espy! The cards can sometimes be quite literal, and it’s a nice touch that the Ring immediately brings the tyre to mind (also it means a marriage, an agreement, an alliance, a deal, something coming together..). I would say that rather than the Anchor foretelling a delay (that would be the Mountain) it’s focusing here mainly on stability & permanence: a pretty important concern if you’re at risk of having a blow-out on the highway, and obviously the main thing on your husband’s mind. On its own, the Garden is just “outside”, out in the world & yes, busy places too. Out in the world – An Agreement, a ‘Marriage’ or the Tyre itself – Stability.
Combined, if we were to take the Ring as the tyre, Garden-Ring (tyre marketplace or people ie the garage) Ring-Anchor (stability of the tyre and indicates fixing it too), Garden-Anchor (stability out in the world.). Put all together, we see the cards for this return journey seem to have been raising up that your return trip would involve being out in the world with the stability of “the ring” (ie your tyre) & getting it fixed.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Lozzy, I bought some lenormand cards and am practising with them. I just asked a question of where next will I meet the man I saw on the 08th August 2019 who likees who was wearing a black shirt. I then received the sun, stars and man cards in my 3 card combonation. I am battling to understand the response from the cards but I see that wit regards to the stars it means internet. Can you please help shed some insight into this and if it is a valid response?
Hi Lusa. Thank you for your question. As you can see, sometimes the three card spread can be frustratingly limited in the information it can give you. I don’t interpret the Stars as “internet,” personally. The Stars card is one of wishes, hopes and dreams; also ambition, fame, high-flying and celebrity. In literal terms it could mean under the stars, but equally it could mean “in your dreams” (not an impossibility with your question!).
The Sun generally means happiness or success, and also heat and light. And the Man can mean this specific man or men in general. So you have success or light, hopes, dreams, ambition, possibly fame and this man.
The answer to the question depends really on whether or not this is someone you meet in real life or not; if it is literal or if it’s a celebrity, say. So the context is important. The message the cards are giving seems very much connected with success and ambition & hopes and dreams. With the cards combined, there are lots of interpretations. Sun + Stars could mean the achievement of fame or winning something; it could also more literally mean the light of the stars or success in a dream. Sun + Man means man’s or male success and happiness or light connected with him. Stars + Man means a male star, his hopes and dreams, or a dream man. So this reading may even just be reflecting back to you your interest in this guy. (I sometimes find the cards just reflect back to me things I already know, which can be annoying!)
Only you know which of these might be most likely. Personally – and I am right now writing a post about this – I would do an extra reading to get further information when the reading is not clear enough or is confusing. Either a 5-Card or a 9-Card. You can use a keycard to focus it if you want to explore a specific thing or mystery in more detail. Hope that helps.
Hello I sound like to know what’s the meaning of the spread of this daily combination please
Ship crossroad bouquet
Thanks
Hi Stella,
Well, if you look at the card meanings and card combinations on this site and follow the instructions above for three card readings, you should get something like this:
Ship: travel, journey, movement
Crossroad: Choices, options, roads, multiples
Bouquet: Beauty, pleasantness, blessings: something nice
Also as this is a daily reading, bear in mind the meanings can be quite literal. As the centre card is Crossroad: this tells you the reading is about having choices or different ways or roads. Ship + Bouquet = A lovely or beautiful trip or journey around that. Ship + Crossroad together suggests a route or several trips, Crossroad + Bouquet: lovely or pretty paths or roads. All together it suggests choosing the nicest or most pleasant way to make a journey. In other words: choosing to take “the scenic route” in some way.
Only you know the context of your own daily reading. As I say, I suggest using the card meaning and combination lists here and following instructions for readings and layouts provided, so that you can start to build confidence in coming up with those interpretations for yourself.
With very best wishes in your Lenormand journey
Lozzy
Hi Lozzy
I asked the cards today:
How will things work out for me financially over the rest of this year?
I pulled three cards. My first guess is that after getting through some obstacles I will make money via some kind of international business venture. (I haven’t worked recently due to an unexpected illness which will be sorted out next month and hope to get my life back to normalcy). I would very much appreciate your input.
The Fish, the Mountain, Ship.
Hi Kathleen,
Yes, I pretty much agree with your assessment here. The cards do indicate eventual movement after the current delays and blockages with regard to cashflow & business.
All best
Lozzy
Hi Lozy,
Firstly, thank you for sharing so much useful information and knowledge on these cards.
I asked the question : how did the day unfold itself? This I did end of day with 3 card spread. First being the morning, second as afternoon and third as evening.
Cross + Tree + Child
My interpretation was as follows:
The morning started off with reaching late to work, series of escalation mails at office, back to meetings, overload of work with colleague taking sudden off, stress at work. The noon was settling into the work pressure, prioritizing tasks and seeking help, taking a coffee break, and getting work done. In the evening, Met with friend and had some nice time catching up and distressing with music.
Is my assessment correct with respect to the combination? Appreciate your view point and inputs?
Many thanks
Mythili
Hi Mythili,
That’s a really interesting way of using the cards – looking back at the end of the day, a good way of checking how they seem to work for you in your day to day life.
Taken separately in the way that you did, the Cross represents pressure, heaviness, responsibility, pressure, overload, The Tree represents energy & a kind of productivity, and the Child, youthfulness, no responsibility, being young again, lightness, so that makes sense (I guess with regard to the Tree, only you know how you felt about things when you were settling back in. The Tree implies a kind of buzz, a flourishing.) You don’t really need to combine the cards in this scenario, but if you wanted to, the Cross-Tree shows a kind of drain on energy, the Cross-Child possibly you being fairly new or junior and being handed responsibility or pressure, but then the youthful energy flourishing & bouncing back with the Tree-Child.
All best, Lozzy
Hi Lozzy,
First, thank you for sharing and spreading your knowledge! Very appreciated.
Second, as a beginner in Lenormand, may I ask a little help for the following 3-cards spread?
1- Mountain
2- Snake
3- Heart
The question: how does my love interest feel about me?
My interpretation:
He sees me as a remote woman. Strong attraction but complications and delay due to physical distance from one another and possessiveness from my part (I confess that I can be sometimes). There is love, though.
Thank you!
S., xo
Thank you. Well, I think you’re broadly right, although overall, because of that Snake at the centre (not the Woman), I’m afraid I think that cards suggest that right now at core he thinks you’re trouble and may not be trustworthy. Also two of the three cards are negative, giving it a more negative tinge. Maybe he sees you as a tempting kind of trouble, but…. Block/distance—Trouble—Love. The cards are being pretty literal. A distant romance with someone who’s trouble. He may think the “Snake” bit is due to the distance, he may not. You’d probably need to do a bigger reading to get more in-depth information. Hope that helps. Lozzy.
Wow…It helps me a lot…Thank you very much, Lozzy.
Hi,
It feels like my friend has pulled away since she started dating a new guy. I asked if she values our friendship and I got the coffin, the tree and the bouquet. Does this mean the friendship is going through a healthy transition for the better?
Hi Holly,
Thanks for your question. Yes, I broadly agree with your interpretation. Something comes to an end but then there is new growth and blossoming in its place. It implies a healthy or positive ending. However, bear in mind, you did ask the cards about how SHE feels in terms of valuing your friendship. The cards suggest she feels that the way things have come to an end is healthy (suggesting she may have felt it wasn’t quite healthy before), and allows for a new and healthy “Spring” and energy into the picture.
Did my first three card spread about a month ago. My husband is a crew chief on a motorcycle drag racing team. These motorcycles are very fast 210 MPH in seconds. I asked will they win? I got the fox, clover, scythe. The fox I read as teamwork. Fox + Clover = Smart teamwork + Good luck. The scythe puzzled me. But I got the feeling someone would crash. I said to my husband that day, I suspect you’ll win, but your opponent will crash. The outcome? My husband’s team won. The other guy crashed.
The last race of the season happened this past weekend. I pulled three cards: Mice, Key, Clouds. I knew my husband’s team was likely to win the season based on their accumulated points. He was chuffed that they were riding high. I said to him, don’t rest on your laurels. The competition will be nipping at your heels (mice), you’ll be uncertain as to where you stand in the final count (I read this mice/clouds as they will lose that day but I didn’t tell him that), but that you’ll win the season. Outcome? My husband’s team lost that day because the other teams had improved and were starting to eat away at their season lead. There was some confusion as to whether or not they had enough accumulated points. But after all the points where counted, they won the season by a very slim margin.
Ah, great interpretations, especially the second. Spot on. (In the first, btw, I’m not sure I’d read the Fox as teamwork; more, in this context a ‘player’ or something sneaky or wrong happening behind the scenes; it may have been the crash for the other guy was caused by that, but from your perspective that was ‘lucky’).
I am now working half-time due to the pandemic. The company I work for is struggling to stay afloat. I can see layoffs happening to avoid sinking the company into bankruptcy.
I am an corporate communicator by profession, but due to circumstance beyond control, I realize I likely will have to rely on my own creative talents and skills to write my own book and publish it.
My question was: Would I be write and publish a successful book? This is what I pulled: Rider. Crossroads. Key.
I am reading this as news (anticipated job loss?) is coming quickly (Rider). Pushing me to make a decision (Crossroads). However, because I have solid writing skills and insider knowledge about how the publishing world works, I’ll do okay (if I want to), because I hold the key to my own success.
Lozzy, does my interpretation sound accurate?
Hi Paula. I’m not sure a three card reading is enough to really get the detail and nuance of a question like that, and I do think it’s important to be objective rather than just seeing what you want to see. Three card readings are fairly simple and basic. That said, the Key does indeed often mean yes. The Crossroads means options. Crossroads and Key does suggest a major life turning point and Rider, as you say, means it’s coming up very soon. What these cards are telling you is simply that a major life turning point is coming up for you soon giving you roads to go down: it doesn’t necessarily go further than that and tell you it’ll be successful although there’s nothing negative in the reading. I’d suggest moving on to a more detailed one with more cards. Check out how to read a 9 card reading on the blog for instructions.
New to Lenormand, but really love them to be honest. Did a 3 card spread and the question was whether or not a specific person (named) was coming towards me romantically and I got The Stars, The Rider & The Anchor, would love to know what your interpretation of that is please & thank you.
Yep, your dreams will soon be achieved for the long term, according to those three cards.
All best
Lozzy
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Hi, so I recently started practicing Lenormand and I did a practice love reading. I pulled the Bear, the Bouquet, then the Child. I’m confused about what the sentence structure would be for this spread. Right now, I’m reading it as the love interest (Bear/powerful man), will have a child?
Hi, so I recently started practicing Lenormand and I did a practice love reading. I pulled the Bear, the Bouquet, then the Child. I’m confused about what the sentence structure would be for this spread. Right now, I’m reading it as the love interest (Bear/powerful man), will have a child?
Not necessarily. It depends what your question was exactly, and you must be sure to include all three cards. Each card in a combo is influenced by the card to the right of it. You need to combine the cards, so structurally you can read it as cards 1 +2 combined, 2+3 combined. (You can also read it as cards 1+3 combined around card 2) You have the Bear, which could indicate a strong, protective person or just the essence of strength, power and protectiveness. The Bouquet is at the heart of the reading, and it means gifts, blessings, attractiveness, pleasantries. The Child can mean a child, yes, but also someone younger, or the quality of innocence and openness. So if you are sure that your Bear is definitely a person, it could be “A strong or protective individual who is pleasant or attractive is blessed with a child” OR something like “A strong or protective individual who is pleasant or attractive is blessed with the quality of openness.” A clear answer entirely depends on the exact question and situation though. Hope that helps!
Hi Lozzy.
Wonderful website and is so full of valuable information.
I’d love to ask you a question about one spread I had.
I finished a ritual offering with flowers, candles etc for prosperity and also to open the roads for prosperity…at the end of it I asked:
“What Will Come Of The Ritual I Just Completed?” or just in my mind “What About This Ritual?”.
For this I used the 3 cards spread and the result was:
Ring + Woman + Cross
I got confused since I’m a man and I can’t relate it to me or the ritual as it was offered to a God and not a Goddess.
Please, could you share some light to my spread?
Many Thanks and Blessings
Sorry for the late response. These cards suggest that your ritual appears to burden a woman in some way – it doesn’t have to be you or a goddess, even in answer to that question. “An agreement or arrangement with a woman in your life is burdened or pressured.” The cards don’t always tell us what we necessarily want to hear, and sometimes, if we have very rigid expectations of what they’re going to tell us, they can make less sense than we would like. But that is the message from the cards. Hope that helps. Lozzy.