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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||
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1: Person #1
The Joker exudes playful disruption and unexpected vitality. It invites you to break free from the routine and consider that sometimes a sudden change can lead to new opportunities. It encourages a bold, creative stance—urging you to experiment with unconventional approaches and trust in the energy of spontaneity.
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
Happiness (Jupiter in Pisces): Effusive and expansive, the Nine of Hearts is a celebration of emotional well-being and the deep-seated joy that comes from embracing life's mysteries. Guided by the benevolent energy of Jupiter in Pisces, it signifies a state of bliss and inner harmony, where love, compassion, and gratitude infuse every moment. This card invites you to bask in the glow of happiness, celebrate your successes, and share your radiance with those around you.
4: Person #1's view of #2
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.
5: Person #2's view of #3
Ruin (Sun in Gemini): At the culmination of a cycle, the Ten of Spades delivers a dramatic message of collapse and renewal. Bathed in the intense, illuminating energy of the Sun in Gemini, it represents the disintegration of old structures—where reason, when severed from reality, leads to disaster and the end of delusion. This card calls for a conscious reckoning with the forces that have driven you to ruin, urging you to dismantle what no longer serves you, so a more authentic and grounded vision may emerge. Spiritually, this card may mean the end of delusion.
6: Person #3's view of #1
Swiftness (Mercury in Sagittarius): The Eight of Clubs bursts with the energy of Mercury in Sagittarius, urging quick decisions and dynamic movement. It represents the acceleration of thought and action—where ideas spark into motion almost as swiftly as lightning. This card signals a period when opportunities and information arrive at breakneck speed. Embrace adaptability and be prepared for sudden changes; your ability to respond with agility will propel you towards success.
Action, explosive energy, electricity, fast communication, gain of rapid speed, light, quickness.
7: Person #2's view of #1
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.
8: Person #3's view of #2
Futility (Moon in Aquarius): The Seven of Spades carries the haunting echo of battles fought in vain. Under the enigmatic Moon in Aquarius, it reveals the sense of exhaustion that arises when energy is expended on endeavours destined to yield only partial or delayed victories. This card serves as a reminder to assess whether continued struggle is worth the cost, or if redirecting your efforts might lead to a more meaningful, albeit different, path to success.
9: Person #1's view of #3
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.
10: Overall relationship between persons #1 and #2
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.
11: Overall relationship between persons #2 and #3
Peace (Moon in Libra): In the delicate balance of the Two of Spades, contradictory qualities converge to form a fragile equilibrium. Influenced by the reflective Moon in Libra, this card speaks of reconciliation and the emergence of calm after strife. It suggests that true peace can arise from the integration of opposing forces—an eventual harmony where past conflicts settle into a state of bittersweet resolution and renewed understanding.
Pleasure after pain. Quarrel resolved.
12: Overall relationship between persons #1 and #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.
13: Overall 3-way Relationship
Luxury (Moon in Cancer): This card delves into the realm of desire, exploring the allure of sensory indulgence and the seductive pull of excess. Under the soft glow of the Moon in Cancer, the Four of Hearts cautions against the overconsumption of pleasure, urging you to seek balance. It challenges you to distinguish between genuine emotional nourishment and the fleeting satisfaction of indulgence, guiding you towards a more meaningful fulfilment.
Giving in to desire. Excess, luxury, insatiability.
