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The Three of Wands Meaning

The Three of Wands Minor Arcana card is one of moving on with expertise and hindsight, looking back on our past perspectives and live experience for where to move on to next.

Read on for a full Tarot card description including its Astrological and Numerological correspondences as well as what it can mean if it shows up for you as a reversal and in a general, career, or love reading:

Three of Wands Tarot Card Meanings

As the natural progression on from the Two of Wands, where we saw a figure looking out over onto the horizon deciding where to go to next, here we have embarked and lived a life well-travelled.

The Three of Wands is about calling upon our inner guidance system with all the life lessons we have learnt thus far in relation to our question and making our next moves in light of this.

We can see that the figure in the Smith Rider Waite Tarot deck is staring out at a vast open space, wearing tattered and patch-worked clothes— they have seen some things! Whereas in the Two we are still in our fortress, not yet having set sail, here we have experienced the wind beneath our wings. They stand firmly planted, confident and self-assured.

The red of the robes indicates power still, like in the Two, but now there is the addition of green, a natural earthiness. The headband is reminiscent of the Magician’s, the power to manifest our will into reality.

The colour of the sky is warm, golden yellow, often being representative of wisdom, spirituality, and creativity. Even the sea of emotion and opportunity is yellow.

The three wands have also grown significantly in size in relation to the Two, we are bigger and wiser now! We have more under our belt.

Three of Wands Keywords

Action, development, experience, progression, journeys, growth, opportunities.

The Three of Wands upright Tarot card can come up for us in a time of our life when we are faced with a decision about our futures and asks us to be bold, brave, step out of our comfort zone, and call upon the wisdom we have earned through past experience.

Astrologically, the Three of Wands card corresponds to the Sun in Aries, where it is exalted. The Sun represents our ego, identity, vitality, and life force will. Aries is the first Sign of the Zodiac, Cardinal Fire, the ram kicking straight out the gate. Archetypal Aries is bold, pioneering, and forthright. As a Sign of ego, the Sun is happy in Aries, it shines strong in its light.

Numerologically, the threes represent the magic of creation and the capacity for the sum of the whole to be greater than the sum of the parts. Three is considered a powerful number cross-culturally, here we are being invited to tap into and harness this generative spirit. We may not fully know where we are going yet as a 3, but we are confident we have the capacity to get there eventually.

This also connects it to Major Arcana card The Empress, seat of fertility. The Empress represents our capacity to create. It is also a reminder of the natural rhythms and cycles of life, nature cannot be rushed, gestation takes as long as it takes. Here we are still at the beginning of our Wands journey.

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Reversed Three of Wands

If you choose to read reversals, a Three of Wands reversed indicates a hesitation in moving forward or sense of lack in our capacity. If it shows up for you this way it can be an even stronger call to gather up your experience and step boldly forward!

Three of Wands in a Love Reading

In a love reading the Three of Wands can represent a blossoming, budding relationship. Things are in motion and progressing forward. It can also be an invitation to check in with your past experiences and see what wisdom you gain from them for how to move on from here. It could even indicate needing to put in the hard work in a long distance relationship.

Three of Wands in a Career Reading

In a career reading, the Three of Wands can be a message that you are wise and have more experience than you give yourself credit for! Don’t be afraid of paving a new way forward and leading with your expertise. Look back over all you’ve learnt and move forward confidently with hindsight.

So those are some Three of Wands Tarot meanings, I hope they’re insightful for you! Let me know in the comments section below if you have anything else to add or any questions.

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