The Threes in Tarot: Meaning of the Number Three and the Four Threes

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The Threes of the tarot speak of growth, expression and collaboration. Here is the traditional meaning of each Three and the mistakes to avoid.

Key points

Number	3
Keyword	Growth, expression, cooperation
Cards	Three of Wands, Three of Cups, Three of Swords and Three of Pentacles
Sephirah (Golden Dawn)	Binah, “intelligence” or “understanding” in the Kabbalah
Related Major Arcanum	The Empress, number 3
In the Marseille	Repeated emblems, with no figure
In the Rider-Waite-Smith	One scene per card

The number in the tradition of the tarot

One, two, three: the one acts, the two opposes, the three brings together. In traditional numerology it is the number of synthesis: from the encounter of two forces a third thing is born, a child, a work, a shared project. Many traditions have made three a fertile number: father, mother, child; birth, life, death; body, soul, spirit.

In the Golden Dawn (an English occult society of the late nineteenth century), the three is linked to Binah, which means “intelligence” or “understanding” on the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah. In the tarot, a Three is therefore often a card of growth: something begins to show itself, to express itself, to take form. The tarot does not predict what it will become: it describes a stage.

The four Threes at a glance

Suit	Image (Rider-Waite-Smith)	Traditional meaning	Question to reflect on
Wands	A man seen from behind, on a clifftop, watches ships	Seeing further, the first returns of an undertaking, confident waiting	What have I launched, and what am I watching for?
Cups	Three women dance, cups raised	Celebration, friendship, shared joy, abundance	With whom do I want to share?
Swords	A heart pierced by three swords in the rain	Grief, painful truth, separation	What hurts, and what do I finally name?
Pentacles	A craftsman works in a cathedral, two people show him plans	Teamwork, recognised skill, a shared project	Who completes my know-how?

The scenes described are those of the Rider-Waite-Smith (1909); other decks offer other images, but the number keeps the same tone.

Marseille or Rider-Waite-Smith?

In the Tarot de Marseille, the Threes are pip cards: three crossed wands, three cups, three swords, three coins, with their ornaments. One reads the three as a number of radiance, often by observing how the emblems are arranged (the swords cross, the cups are rather centred). In the Rider-Waite-Smith, the scenes are more talkative: the dance of the Three of Cups, the rain of the Three of Swords, the building site of the Three of Pentacles.

The Three of Swords is one of the most famous images of the Rider-Waite-Smith: a red heart, three blades, a grey sky. It was long read as “grief”, which is accurate, but the card also shows that a sorrow, once named, can be worked through. In the Marseille you have only three blades: you will have to build the reading yourself, from the context of the spread.

The number and the Major Arcana

The three belongs to The Empress, Major Arcanum number 3, a symbol of fertility, creation and nature. In the reading of the Three of Cups one finds this idea of shared abundance; in the Three of Pentacles, that of a work taking shape. For the Major Arcana in general: the guide to the Major Arcana.

Reading this number in a spread

A Three in a spread invites you to look at what is growing, or what is asking to be expressed. Where is my project now? With whom can I share it? What have I not yet said? Several Threes in the same spread often suggest collaborations, groups and collective projects.

If you read reversed cards, the Three is sometimes interpreted as stunted growth, a celebration that ends prematurely or a difficult collaboration. This is not a rule: your deck and your habits decide. To practise, see the three-card spread, which stages precisely this rhythm of three beats.

Beginner's mistakes

Taking the Three of Swords as a misfortune to come: it is an image of grief, or of a truth that hurts, not a forecast.
Believing the Three of Cups necessarily means “celebration”: it may also signal a need for support.
Reading the Three of Wands as an achieved success: it is an expectation, not a result.
Neglecting the Three of Pentacles, judged “technical”: it is the card of collective work and skill.
Not reading the three cards of a three-card spread together.

For practice

Lay the four Threes of your deck side by side and notice how each one is a matter of relationship: with the world (Wands), with others (Cups), with oneself (Swords), with a work (Pentacles). Choose one of these themes that speaks to you at present, and write two sentences on how you live it. This exercise is for reflection, not prediction. The next number is read in the Fours.