How to read three cards in Lenormand
Three-card combinations form the foundation of reading tableaus in Lenormand, so it’s an essential skill to master.
To read three-card combinations, you first need to understand how to read pairs, so if you haven’t seen my post How to read Lenormand cards in pairs, I recommend reading that first.
In this post, I will explain four different methods of reading triplets in Lenormand:
Card 1 as the Subject
Card 2 as the Subject
Reading Around the Crux
The Story Method
Note that the format of Subject/Descriptor used throughout this post can be switched out with Noun/Adjective depending on your preference (refer to How to read Lenormand cards in pairs).
#1 - Card 1 as the Subject
Card 1 (Subject) + Card 2 (Descriptor) + Card 3 (More Information)
This is my preferred method when reading a three-card spread as it is similar to how I read Tarot. In this technique, the first card is the key player, with each subsequent card providing more context or clarification.
Let’s use the following example and key words:
Card 1 - The Ship (travel)
Card 2 - The Clover (opportunities)
Card 3 - The Fox (work/career)
We then apply our formula:
Card 1 (Subject) + Card 2 (Descriptor) + Card 3 (More Information)
And we get:
Subject - The Ship (travel)
Describes the subject - The Clover (opportunities)
More information - The Fox (work/career)
To understand the cards together, I step out the reading as follows:
What is the subject of this reading?
Travel.
What about it?
There will be an opportunity.
What else?
It relates to work or career.
This can then be read as: “While you're travelling, there will be an opportunity regarding work or your career.”
#2 - Card 2 as the Subject
Card 2 (Subject) + Card 1 (Descriptor) + Card 3 (More Information)
This method is good for anyone who visually prefers to have the key card in the middle of the spread. Here, Card 2 is the subject, then you look to Card 1 for a description of that subject, and then you jump over to Card 3 for more information.
For this example. let’s use the same cards as the first method:
Card 1 - The Ship (travel)
Card 2 - The Clover (opportunities)
Card 3 - The Fox (work/career)
We then apply these cards to the formula:
Card 2 (Subject) + Card 1 (Descriptor) + Card 3 (More Information)
Which looks like this:
Subject: The Clover (opportunities)
Describes the subject: The Ship (travel)
More information: The Fox (work/career)
You can step this out as per below:
What is the subject of this reading?
An opportunity.
What about it?
The opportunity relates to travel.
What else?
It involves work or career.
This can then be read as: “There will be an opportunity for you to travel for work.”
Even though the examples in both Method #1 and Method #2 use the same cards, the subject (or focus) cards are different. This changes how the cards are interpreted.
In Method #1, travelling was the key factor. This led to this result:
“While you're travelling, there will be an opportunity regarding work or your career.”
Comparatively, in Method #2, the opportunity was the important part. Therefore, the interpretation was slightly different:
“There will be an opportunity for you to travel for work.”
#3 - Reading Around the Crux
Card 1 (Subject) + Card 3 (Descriptor) + Card 2 (The Crux)
I like this method when reading three cards within a bigger spread. Here, Card 2 is the key player, but you read the cards around it first to give you the context.
This method varies from the first two because the subject is not actually the most important part of the reading. The subject and descriptor are setting the scene, but it is the crux that tells you what you need to know.
If we use the same cards again:
Card 1 - The Ship (travel)
Card 2 - The Clover (opportunities)
Card 3 - The Fox (work/career)
And apply the formula:
Card 1 (Subject) + Card 3 (Descriptor) + Card 2 (The Crux)
We get:
Subject - The Ship (travel)
Describes the subject - The Fox (work/career)
The Crux - The Clover (opportunities)
We can then step this out as follows:
What is the subject of this reading?
Travel.
What about it?
It relates to work or career.
What is important for me to know?
There is an opportunity.
This could then be read as: “Travelling for work will lead you to an opportunity.”
In this example, travelling for work sets the scene, but the crucial part is the opportunity.
#4 - The Story Method
This approach follows the same principle as the sequencing technique when reading in pairs. The cards are read as a sequence of stand-alone events, going from left to right, to create a story. Sequencing with three cards can be read in a couple of ways:
Card 1 leads to Card 2, which then leads to Card 3.
First Card 1 happens, then Card 2 happens, and then we finish off with Card 3.
There are a few different tenses that can be applied to the Story Method. It can be read as past (Card 1) / present (Card 2) / future (Card 3), or Card 1 could be the present with Cards 2 and 3 showing what is still to come. Alternatively, all cards could represent either the past or the future. Regardless of the tense, you read the cards by stringing them all together to form a chronological story.
Using the same cards as the previous methods:
Card 1 - The Ship (travel)
Card 2 - The Clover (opportunities)
Card 3 - The Fox (work/career)
And applying them to a past/present/future layout, we get:
Past - The Ship (travel)
Present - The Clover (opportunities)
Future - The Fox (work/career)
This can then be read as: “your travels in the past have led you to an opportunity that may influence your future work or career.”
Unlike the previous methods, in the Story Method each card is of equal weight. One card can lead to another, but they do not modify each other. They operate independently.
Summary
This is not an exhaustive list of all the techniques you can use to read three cards in Lenormand, but these are the most common methods I have come across.
Techniques 1, 2 and 3 all involve using a subject card. I recommend trying out each of these three methods and picking the one that works the best for you. That said, you may find that you prefer one method when reading a three-card spread, and a different method when reading three cards within a larger tableau.
The technique you will use to interpret Lenormand triplets will vary depending on the question and the card layout. I suggest you get comfortable with the Story Method and at least one of the three Subject Card techniques to ensure you have a few options in your toolbox that you can pull out when you need to. The most important thing to remember is to set the intention of the technique you will use before you pull any cards. That will ensure that the cards come out in the right order for your question.
