The Love Triangle Spread
Difficulty: Complicated
Casually referred to as the Love Triangle, this spread can be used to determine the dynamics of the relationship between three people, regardless of whether romance is involved. This spread is arranged in the form of a hexagram, consisting of several large and small triangles. This tarot spread may seem somewhat complicated, but it is not entirely that difficult.
The first step is to interpret the card for each individual position in the spread. Generally, one might ask about a relationship they are involved in, but this does not have to be the case. Ordinarily, the reader's representative card is #1, their main person of interest is #2, and the other person would be #3.
The second step fills in the downward triangle and involves further examination of the individuals through their views of the other people. Each person has two more cards showing the way they see and relate to the other members of the triangle. For example, Card #6 indicates how Person #3 relates to Person #1, while Card #9 stands for Person #1's attitude toward Person #3.
The next step completes the upward triangle and the hexagram, focusing on cards #10–13. It also completes the many smaller triangles and hints at the potential for each relationship. The final card, #13 can be considered the significator of the reading, which suggests the overall potential for this three-way relationship.
Your Love Triangle Reading
| P#3 | 3to2 | 2+3 |
2to3 | P#2 | ||
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3to1 |  |
Overall |  |
2to1 |  |
| 1+3 |  |
1to3 |  |
1to2 |  |
1+2 |
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P#1 |  |
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1: Person #1
Cruelty (Mars in Gemini): The Nine of Spades confronts you with a raw depiction of suffering and malice. Infused with the aggressive energy of Mars in Gemini, it reveals the darker facets of human interaction—lies, despair, and the infliction of pain borne from both external conflict and inner turmoil. This card acts as a stark reminder of the perils of untempered aggression and the importance of compassion, encouraging you to transform harshness into healing when faced with cruelty.
Suffering, pain, malice, loss, lies, despair, slander.
2: Person #2
Gain (Venus in Virgo): The Nine of Diamonds radiates the graceful influence of Venus in Virgo, symbolising the fruition of material efforts through enhanced wealth and fortune. It points to gains that come through careful cultivation and practical acumen—such as inheritances or steady financial growth. This card encourages you to appreciate and build upon the material blessings in your life, transforming small victories into enduring prosperity.
Inheritance, increase in wealth, material fortune, accomplishment.
3: Person #3
Pisces: A tender, sensitive figure attuned to the subtle pull of attraction, he embodies the empathetic allure of Piscean energy. Though quick to respond to emotional calls, there is a risk of superficiality if depth is neglected. His influence reminds you to cultivate heartfelt connections, balancing your sensitivity with self-awareness to protect and enrich your inner world.
4: Person #1's view of #2
Science (Mercury in Aquarius): In the precise, methodical energy of Mercury in Aquarius, the Six of Spades represents the culmination of intellectual endeavours. This card heralds the successful alignment of thought, analysis, and innovative insight—where every faculty converges on a clear, singular truth. It symbolises that through reason and collective understanding, even the most challenging problems can be dissected and resolved, paving the way for progress grounded in rationality.
5: Person #2's view of #3
Worry (Mercury in Taurus): The Five of Diamonds channels the cautionary energy of Mercury in Taurus, highlighting the strain that accompanies periods of stagnation or disruption in material pursuits. It speaks to the anxiety and potential loss that may arise from inertia or poorly timed ventures. This card advises you to address your concerns through practical reflection and clear communication—acknowledging that even moments of worry hold lessons that, once learned, can fortify your future efforts.
6: Person #3's view of #1
Strife (Saturn in Leo): The Five of Clubs confronts you with the inevitable friction that accompanies any great endeavour. Under the stern influence of Saturn in Leo, this card signals conflicts—be they internal struggles, competitive battles, or clashes of will—that test your resolve. It serves as a reminder that growth often comes through adversity. It challenges you to confront your obstacles with discipline and fortitude, transforming strife into a catalyst for personal evolution.
Struggle, competition, opposition, violence, quarrelling, lust and carnal desire.
7: Person #2's view of #1
Scorpio: Moving gracefully in the shadows, this enigmatic figure is driven by a fierce, insatiable ambition for hidden wisdom and power. His calm exterior belies an ocean of turbulent passion. His presence urges you to delve into the depths of your own emotions, confronting buried truths and harnessing transformative intensity, even when it challenges the status quo.
8: Person #3's view of #2
Strength (Moon in Sagittarius): Quiet yet undeniable, the Nine of Clubs speaks of deep-seated resilience and the lasting power of inner strength. Influenced by the reflective Moon in Sagittarius, it underscores the importance of healing, recovery, and the persistence required to rise after setbacks. This card invites you to draw on the strength that comes from within—trust that your capacity for renewal will enable you to transform adversity into a source of power and stability.
Great strength, tremendous force, recovery, health, power, triumph. Change is stability.
9: Person #1's view of #3
Oppression (Saturn in Sagittarius): The Ten of Clubs serves as a stark warning about the misuse of raw power. Under the heavy hand of Saturn in Sagittarius, this card represents energy turned destructive—brute force that suppresses growth and stifles creativity. It cautions against the potential for self-imposed or external repression, where ambition may devolve into cruelty or malice if not guided by wisdom and compassion. It urges you to seek balance and channel your fiery energy constructively, lest it become an instrument of oppression.
Lies, repression, cruelty, malice. The element of fire in its most destructive form.
10: Overall relationship between persons #1 and #2
The Root of Water: This card emerges as the fountainhead of emotion—a pristine, unfiltered source of joy, love, and creative potential. It heralds a new beginning in the realm of feelings, inviting you to immerse yourself in unconditional love and beauty. The Ace of Hearts is a reminder to nourish your inner self and allow pure, healing energy to flow into every aspect of life.
Joy, contentment, love, fruitfulness, beauty.
11: Overall relationship between persons #2 and #3
Debauch (Venus in Scorpio): The Seven of Hearts warns of the dangers of unbridled passion when it tips into excess. With Venus in Scorpio intensifying its energy, this card highlights a descent into moral ambiguity—where the allure of indulgence may lead to deception and loss of integrity. It calls for reflection on your desires, encouraging you to cultivate a balance between passion and ethical grounding, lest you become entangled in fleeting, self-destructive pursuits.
Deception, shameless indulgence, lust, fornication, intoxication, delusion, promises unfulfilled.
12: Overall relationship between persons #1 and #3
Satiety (Mars in Pisces): This card presents a paradox of fulfilment—a state where pleasure appears complete yet leaves an echo of longing. The Ten of Hearts, energised by Mars in Pisces, suggests that even when desires seem satisfied, there remains an undercurrent of what might have been. It challenges you to explore the nature of satisfaction: to recognise that true contentment involves continual growth and that each peak of joy is but a stepping stone to further emotional discovery.
13: Overall 3-way Relationship
Indolence (Saturn in Pisces): Here, the Eight of Hearts reflects a state of emotional stagnation—a weariness that comes from either a deliberate renunciation of worldly pursuits or a surrender to melancholic inertia. Under Saturn's disciplined influence in Pisces, it signals a pause, a moment of introspection where success is abandoned or delayed. This card prompts you to assess whether you're disengaging from life out of necessary spiritual recalibration or simply succumbing to apathy, urging you to find the courage to reawaken your heart's ambitions.
Success abandoned, apathy, misery, transience, instability, a small victory. Sometimes means abandonment of materialistic pursuits in favour of the spiritual.
