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
Abundance (Mercury in Cancer): Overflowing with the energy of creative fertility, the Three of Hearts celebrates the fullness of life. It speaks of bountiful emotional riches, the nurturing of relationships, and the joy found in shared kindness and hospitality. This card encourages you to embrace generosity and allow your heart to be a wellspring of inspiration, fostering growth and fulfilment in both personal and communal realms.
Fulfilment, conclusion, plenty, fertility, hospitality, kindness, creation.
2: Person #2
Defeat (Venus in Aquarius): The Five of Spades embodies the sting of loss and the undercurrents of malice that can fracture resolve. With Venus in Aquarius tinting its energy, this card reflects moments of weakness and spite—times when external pressures and internal conflicts sap your strength. It cautions that defeat might be a necessary, though painful, lesson, urging you to recognise vulnerability as a stepping stone towards reclaiming dignity and reasserting your personal integrity.
Weakness, loss, spite, malice, trouble, dishonour, anxiety. A driver of wedges.
3: Person #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.
4: Person #1's view of #2
Libra: Embodied with elegant balance and perceptive insight, she stands as a paragon of fairness and refined grace. Her confident demeanour and innate sense of justice make her a natural mediator in turbulent times. In your reading, she encourages you to pursue truth and beauty, forging harmonious relationships that reflect both intellectual clarity and compassionate integrity.
A confident, gracious, just, perceptive, graceful, elegant woman.
5: Person #2's view of #3
Leo: A vibrant young figure bursting with the fire of youth and noble intent, he embodies a courageous spirit and a generous heart. His impulsive nature and quick humour mask a deep inner strength and creative passion. He invites you to seize the moment and trust that your innate vitality can spark new beginnings.
A young man, just, noble, generous, impulsive, humorous, strong.
6: Person #3's view of #1
Capricorn: The Queen of Diamonds exudes a grounded, nurturing power that is both practical and affectionate. Her influence is marked by a sense of duty and well-cultivated charm that brings warmth to even the most restrictive environments. She symbolises a person—or an energy—who combines the rigour of material success with kindness, nurturing the prosperity of those around her while maintaining a firm grasp on reality.
A practical, kind, domesticated, affectionate, charming woman
7: Person #2's view of #1
Virgo: The King of Diamonds stands as the embodiment of mastery over the material realm, wielding his expertise with precision and dedication. His reign is characterised by a focus on agricultural abundance, craftsmanship, and the efficient management of resources. He represents a figure of authority deeply invested in the practical aspects of life—his disciplined approach ensuring that every venture is executed with reliability, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of more transcendent pursuits.
8: Person #3's view of #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.
9: Person #1's view of #3
Success (Moon in Taurus): Under the nurturing glow of the Moon in Taurus, the Six of Diamonds is a celebration of material achievement and generous influence. This card reflects not only financial gain but also the nobility that comes from sharing success with others—be it through philanthropy, leadership, or personal integrity. It invites you to recognise and build upon your accomplishments, transforming tangible rewards into legacies of prosperity and goodwill.
Material success and gain. Influence, philanthropy, nobility.
10: Overall relationship between persons #1 and #2
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.
11: Overall relationship between persons #2 and #3
Pleasure (Sun in Scorpio): Radiating the warmth of the Sun filtered through the intense lens of Scorpio, the Six of Hearts signals a period of emotional contentment and the gentle emergence of satisfaction. It suggests that harmony is returning after a period of strife, paving the way for steady emotional growth. This card invites you to relish the simple joys of life and trust that glee awaits as you continue to nurture your inner world.
Natural harmony, satisfaction, beginnings of steady increase
12: Overall relationship between persons #1 and #3
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.
13: Overall 3-way Relationship
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.
