The Three of Wands - Big Picture Thinking in the Tarot

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The Three of Wands is a thought-provoking card that has many layers worth peeling back through your own journaling and mediation process.

To give you a bit of context whilst you reflect on your own relationship to the card, here are a few key things to know about the Three of Wands:

In traditional tarot divination, the Three of Wands is a card that suggests a broadening of horizons is on the way. It may be a physical broadening - the ships on the horizon indicate travel, but it could also mean something less literal - a new way of thinking or an expanded point of view, or a bold new ambition. The important thing is that the card invites you to see the big picture of where you’re going or what you want, and reflect on that before diving into action.

In numerology, the number three is often associated with people who are artistic, optimistic, and and energetic. This card, in which we view a figure from behind as they survey a landscape, on first glance may feel more reflective than energetic. But it’s worth thinking about how it represents someone on the cusp of something so much bigger than themselves. Who hasn’t felt that high thrill of energy just before the leap, when you’re looking out at the world you’re about to jump into?

It’s also interesting to observe that the number three is repeated often though out this card. Three wands, three leaves in each sprout flowering from the wand, three ships, and three of the main figure’s limbs are visible, while the left arm is hidden from view. What you make of that is up to you, but not every numbered card in the tarot expresses its numeral so loudly - the ten of cups doesn’t feature ten of anything else, for instance. So there’s something particularly powerful about that three, and its relationship to what the card can mean for you.

In your tarot journal, you’re asked to reflect on what this card means to you, now, in this moment, and what actions and thoughts it inspires in you. As you journal, pay attention to what you’re personally picking up in the card, but also consider what the key symbols and themes in the card might be telling you. What precipice are you standing on right now? Where are you poised to expand, and can you see the big picture yet?

This mini-tarot lesson was brought to you by me, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, founder of Pip Cards Tarot. I hope you gained a little context to help you continue reflecting on the card in your own way, and I’ll see you tomorrow for another mini-lesson.