​Number: 24/3

Element: Fire

Astrological Association: Sun in Aries

Key Meanings: Action and adventure

The Three of Wands in a Tarot reading stands for exploration, foresight, leadership, and opportunity.

Upright Meaning: The Three of Wands is one of the tarot’s good-fortune cards. It reveals successful enterprise and seeing your projects and relationships thrive; it is also a great indicator for weddings and a new, important relationship. It predicts a busy, intense period of activity—so be prepared to be inundated with texts, emails, calls, and visitors.

This card is often an indicator of an imminent trip away and seeing your plans realized—whether those are travel plans, business plans, a wedding, or other projects you have nurtured. This is also a time for great communication and self-expression through chosen interests such as art, music, crafts, and sport. The Three of Wands also favors individuality and nonconformism, so you may feel drawn to unconventional people and projects now. Also, pride yourself on your quirks and eccentricities, and let others see all you have to offer rather than the aspects of you with which you assume they are most comfortable. From this, you can gain even more confidence and even admiration. You are unique, after all.

The Three’s challenge is to keep the balance between staying focused on the prize while remaining patient, calm, and in the now. Appreciate, too, those people who are around you now; try to make time for friends who don’t immediately fit into your future plans.

Reversed Meaning: When reversed, the Three of Wands shows communication problems. Plans are delayed and it may be difficult to make progress in your projects. Relationships can suffer under this influence, as you find it hard to express yourself and understand what others are saying. Misunderstandings may make you feel needlessly isolated. If this applies to you, resist the frustration that this influence brings and go with a slower pace for a while. Overall, however, these are minor negatives; this is still a card of good fortune, even when reversed, so don’t let glitches become a distraction. You can still succeed.